In focus
A new generation of airway vizualisation
The standards in airway management are changing and the clinical community is increasingly embracing vizualisation devices to enhance patient safety and control costs. This trend is further accelerated as clinical studies document the benefits of using advanced vizualisation equipment. The extensive NAP4 report from the UK is yet another document that underscores the importance of adding visualization devices to the airway management toolbox.
Availability
Insufficient availability of equipment for management of the difficult airway and bronchoscopy is considered among the major causative factors contributing to poor patient outcomes.
Think about it — do you always have immediate access to a flexible bronchoscope when you need it?
Infection control
Flexible bronchoscopes are difficult to clean and disinfect due to their long, narrow lumens and delicate materials. The question is whether it is possible to ensure a clean scope after reprocessing.
Contamination and inadequate cleaning of endoscopes has been recognized as a major patient safety issue by the ECRI.
Health economy
The combination of capital investment, repair and reprocessing of reusable bronchoscopes adds up to a per-use cost that is more than hospital staff often realize.
Do you know the true cost of using a reusable bronchoscope?
Environmental impact
Leading environmental professors from the University of Southern Denmark have investigated the impact of single-use bronchoscopes compared to the complex and resource demanding cleaning process of reusable bronchoscopes.
