Designation:F1518–00StandardPracticeforCleaningandDisinfectionofFlexibleFiberopticandVideoEndoscopesUsedintheExaminationoftheHollowViscera1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationF1518;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(e)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope1.1Thispracticecoverstheflexiblefiberopticandvideoendoscopesthatarefullyimmersibleinliquidandareusedintheexaminationofthehollowviscera(thatis,colonoscopes,gastroscopes,duodenoscopes,sigmoidoscopes,andentero-scopes).Theseendoscopeswillbereferredtoasflexiblegastrointestinal(GI)endoscopes.1.1.1Itisstronglyrecommendedthatonlyimmersibleendoscopesbeusedinordertoassurethatallpartsoftheendoscopewillbehigh-leveldisinfected;however,itisrecog-nizedthat,insomeinstances,portionsofendoscopesthatneithercontactpatientsnorpatientfluidsmaynotbeimmers-ible.Intheseinstances,caremustbetakentodisinfectthenonimmersibleportionstothehighestdegreewithwhichtheyarecompatible,accordingtothemanufacturer’sdirections.1.2Thispracticeisintendedtocomplement,notreplacetheinstructionsandlabelingprovidedbyproductmanufacturers.Endoscopemanufacturersmustprovideinstructionsandlabel-ingnecessaryforuserstoknowthebasicdesign,specifications,nomenclature,andcomponentsofspecificflexibleGIendo-scopesandtoproperlyinspect,prepare,use,clean,disinfect,rinse,dry,andstoretheseinstruments.1.3Endoscopictechniqueandthemedicalaspectsofgas-trointestinalendoscopyarenotcoveredinthispractice.1.4ThispracticedetailsthestepsnecessarytoproperlyreprocessflexibleGIendoscopesandrenderthempatient-ready.1.5ThispracticedetailsmanualreprocessingaswellasautomatedreprocessingofflexibleGIfiberopticandvideoendoscopes.1.6Theapplicationofallpracticesrelatingtoendoscopicreprocessingwillultimatelyfallintothepurviewoftheindividualassignedtothattaskinanendoscopicarea.1.6.1Toensuretheproperadherencet...
