title: Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography: related nosocomial infections.
abstract: The flexible endoscopes of a gastroenterology department were microbiologically examined after one patient developed a possible nosocomial infection. The endoscopes were found to be contaminated by pseudomonas species. An appropriate cleaning regime was developed and the initial difficulties in sterilising the instruments are described. The medical records of all ERCPed patients for the one and half years prior to and the half year after the monitoring exercise were examined. It was found that approximately 50 percent of patients examined in the half year prior to the introduction of endoscopic monitoring had infections with Pseudomonas species.
mesh_terms: D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000209:etiology*