The Risks of Using Damaged Medical Scopes Philadelphia PA

Patient Safety Are Primary Concern When Medical Scopes Are Not Repaired

Medical scopes are sensitive and invasive instruments that, unless properly maintained and repaired, can lead to significant problems with patient safety and accuracy. MedTec Applications, Inc. is an industrial endoscope repair company with a commitment to careful inspection and testing of repaired scopes. Among medical scope manufacturers and customers, we have earned a sterling reputation built on accurate and precise repairs that keep Philadelphia, PA patients safe.

The issue of unsafe industrial endoscope repair issues, unfortunately, has dominated the news recently. For example, for nearly six years, from January 2010 to October 2015, infected medical scopes led to illnesses in 350 patients across 41 medical facilities around the world. In 2015, three patient deaths were attributed to a bacterial outbreak at the same Southern California hospital due to contaminated scopes.

Lawmakers and hospital officials believe the scope of the outbreak is largely underreported because some hospitals do not always test for the antibiotic-resistant superbugs that cause many of the infections.

In 2016, 293 patients receiving colonoscopies at Noble Hospital in Massachusetts were potentially exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C due to colonoscopies that were infected. That same year, doctors at Detroit Medical Center reported that their repeated complaints about improperly cleaned and broken medical scopes were ignored.

Causes of the Concern

There are multiple challenges regarding proper medical scope repairs. In most practices and systems, there’s a lack of transparency, research, and data on linking infections and dirty medical scopes.

Another challenge is that the responsibility for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing scopes both in use and when repaired is a divided task. Different government agencies, infection control boards, industry groups and professional societies all have different guidelines. Some devices are also difficult to clean and disinfect.

Safety First

At MedTec Applications, we make sure your scopes are carefully handled, cleaned and repaired according to industry and manufacturer specifications. When you send your medical scopes to us, we carefully disassemble and diagnose issues for repair.

Once we receive approval for the repairs, we complete the tasks thoroughly. We clean all the lenses, spacers, and lens housing components completely. We remove all the moisture present and inspect the scope for leaks that could hinder performance and cause contamination.

Once the completed scope is repaired and cured, it undergoes a quality control check. Finally, it is carefully packed for return, using a closed, rigid container with the appropriate labeling as per the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As one of the country’s top medical scope manufacturers, we understand the importance of clear instructions and using manufacturers’ guidelines. Our scope technicians are experienced professionals who undergo rigorous training on different scope types and models.

We repair all types of rigid, semi-rigid and flexible medical scopes, cystoscopes, and veterinary scopes. While unlikely, if there is a problem with your Philadelphia, PA medical scope repair, we offer a 90-day warranty and a one-year warranty on new scopes.