Determination of glutaraldehyde residues on flexible endoscopes after chemothermal treatment in an endoscope washer-disinfector.
OBJECTIVE
Although there are several cases of glutaraldehyde-induced colitis following colonoscopy there is only one study on residues after disinfecting. Our report describes the determination of water-soluble glutaraldehyde residues after processing endoscopes with a glutaraldehyde-containing disinfectant.


METHODS
A gastroscope and a colonoscope were processed in a washer-disinfector and then immersed in 201 of NaCl solution. Glutaraldehyde was determined by high performance liquid chromatography in 84 samples. Samples were taken after immersing the endoscopes for 5 h and 24 h with and without rinsing the channels.


RESULTS
After 5 h and with the channels having been rinsed, the median for colonoscopes was only 0.409 mg/l. The highest level of glutaraldehyde was 0.846 mg/l.


CONCLUSIONS
After endoscopes have been processed in the washer-disinfector there is no risk of a glutaraldehyde-induced colitis, proctitis or diarrhoea.
Dietze
B
B
Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin--Technical Hygiene, Fachbereich Humanmedizin, Free University of Berlin, Germany. martiny@medizin.fu-berlin.de
Neumann
H
H
Mansmann
U
U
Martiny
H
H
D020685:Colonoscopes; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000032:analysis*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004350:Drug Residues; D004867:Equipment Design; D020699:Gastroscopes; D005976:Glutaral / Q000032:analysis*; D006358:Hot Temperature
D004202:Disinfectants; D005976:Glutaral