Bioluminescent Technology Verifies Endoscope Cleanliness

A new testing system provides real-time verification of the cleanliness of endoscopes and other reusable medical instruments in just 15 seconds.

The Hygiena (Camarillo, CA, USA) EndoSwab is a single use, catheter-like device that features an absorbent sponge tip attached to a 2.4 meter long flexible wand, enabling sample collection from even hard-to-reach internal channels and components. Following swabbing sampling, the sponge tip is removed and assessed using proprietary adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test devices. Since ATP is a component of all bodily fluids, the test can verify the cleanliness--but not the sterility--of the endoscope. Once the initial cleaning steps have been confirmed, the instrument can then be disinfected, sterilized, and reused.


EndoSwab is compatible with the Hygiena UltraSnap and SuperSnap ATP surface test devices, two fully integrated, easy-to-use and environmentally-friendly systems capable of generating highly sensitive, accurate and reproducible results using a luminometer. Similarly, the Hygiena AquaSnap device can be used to verify water quality. The systems incorporate a software package for the recording of test data, which can then be used to generate graphs and reports that detect cleaning issues, identify personnel training needs, and monitor the overall cleanliness of an instrument inventory over time.

“Owing to the invasive nature of the procedures in which they are used, reusable medical devices are highly susceptible to contamination. As such, proper reprocessing between uses is necessary to avoid cross-contamination and infection outbreaks,” said Martin Easter, PhD, chief scientific officer of Hygiena. “EndoSwab allows for the easy collection of test samples on a daily basis and the rapid detection of contamination before patient exposure.”

ATP is a key factor of the bioluminescent reaction, a multistep process which mainly requires luciferine substrate, Oxygen (O2), Magnesium cation (Mg++) and ATP. The process relies on luciferine oxidation, with light intensity directly proportional to ATP content. The light emission is a consequence of a rapid loss of energy of the oxyluciferine molecule from an excited state to a stable one, a reaction that induces the emission of photons with an efficient quantum yield of about 90%.

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