ASGE issues updated infection control guidelines for gastrointestinal...( OAK BROOK Ill. May 13 2008 The Am...),Health

OAK BROOK, Ill. May 13, 2008 The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has updated its infection control guidelines regarding gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. The guidelines note that endoscopy-related infections are a very rare event since the adoption of endoscope reprocessing (cleaning) guidelines. The ASGE infection control guidelines appear in the May issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the ASGE.

Endoscopy is a procedure that uses an endoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a light and a lens on the end to look into the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, colon, or rectum, in order to diagnose or treat a condition. There are many types of endoscopy, including colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, and esophogogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). ASGE is known as the professions leader in setting standards of excellence in endoscopy and is committed to setting the highest-quality standards for GI endoscopy through its safety guidelines and the training of its members so that patients receive the best and safest care possible. The infection control guidelines were prepared by the ASGE Standards of Practice Committee.

Despite the large number and variety of GI endoscopic procedures performed, documented instances of infectious complications remain rare, with an estimated frequency of 1 in 1.8 million procedures, said Todd H. Baron, MD, FASGE, chair of the ASGE Standards of Practice Committee. Endoscopy is a safe, well-tolerated and potentially life-saving procedure when practiced by expertly trained physicians who follow the practice guidelines set forth by the ASGE and who adhere to general infection control principles, including aseptic techniques and safe injection practices.

The guidelines are issued to disseminate information to promote understanding, which leads to the prevention of infection as a result of a GI endoscopy. Circumstances in
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