Getinge Promoting VP4... / + Call to Move to Sterilization..The following article titled Implementing a Comprehensive Endoscope Reprocessing Program from Infection Control Today contains the following assessment...
"By Dawn England, MPH, CPHQ, CIC
More than 10 million endoscope procedures are performed in the United States each year.1 There is no doubt that these medical devices have been a major advancement in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. It has been well published about the link between inadequately cleaned duodenoscopes and infections. More recently, several studies and media reports have linked outbreaks of multi-drug resistant organ-isms (MDROs) to these devices without any findings of reprocessing breaches.2-4
While most of the attention has been turned toward duodenoscopes, a case study highlights the growing concern that other endoscopes, like gastroscopes, should also be looked at more closely. In an April 2016 letter to the editor of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, “Documented Transmission of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pnemoniae,” the authors report evidence of cross-contamination of ESBL-KP from a patient to a gastroscope with subsequent persistent contamination despite proper reprocessing technique.
The identified gastroscope had gone through 12 rounds of high-level disinfection and was used on nine patients before it was identified to be of concern. After reviewing the cleaning and disinfection practices in the endoscopy department, no gaps in following the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and disinfection were identified. None of the nine patients has shown evidence of ESBL-KP infection and are closely followed for signs and symptoms.
This finding demonstrates a need for more effective methods of cleaning and disinfection and consideration to move to sterilization whenever possible...."
And, of course, the VP4 IS that sterilization solution!
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2016/10/implementing-a-comprehensive-endoscope-reprocessing-program.aspx
You might also find the following presentation, in PowerPoint, presented by Getinge Marketing Manager Chris Pawlak out of Rochester, NY, given at Minnesota Ambulatory Center Surgery Association 2016 Infection Prevention Conference Oct 10, Minneapolis.... notable, as it shows an example of some prominent Getinge people in the field out promoting the VP4 to state and other health care organizations (you have to copy this as a google link to a ppt file and download it...):
3-pawlak-low-temperature-sterilization-technologies ... - MNASCA