The quality of medicine and the country's health directly depends on the high technology and quality of the model of endoscopic equipment. First of all, it is worth understanding what it represents, where it found its application, and which countries produce this type of medical equipment.
What is endoscopy?
Endoscopy is a set of measures carried out using special equipment for examining the internal organs and cavities of the human body. The endoscope from the Greek language is literally translated as “endo” - inside, “scopia” - to watch. In medicine, various endoscopes are used, which are passed through the anatomical paths and special surgical openings, for example, through the esophagus, mouth, or through the bronchi. Endoscopic methods are one of the most popular methods of medicine of the twenty-first century, they are used in almost all its fields.
Most often, endoscopic equipment is used in gastroenterology. It is used to examine the organs of the gastrointestinal tract in their pathology to develop a treatment regimen. For example, with peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, gastritis, with a clear suspicion of tumors and neoplasms in the cavities of the digestive system. Also, endoscopy has found its place in gynecology, with the help of endoscopic equipment, it will not be difficult for a gynecologist to examine the uterus and its appendages. Bronchopulmonary diseases always cause difficulties in the treatment and timely diagnosis of a disease. That is why endoscopic equipment and pulmonology has found its place. You can list for a long time in what areas and by what methods this miraculous technique created by man is used. We will dwell on a general overview and the rules for disinfection and sterilization of this instrument.
Description
Endoscopic equipment is a medical instrument used to examine the cavities and walls of the internal organs of the human body and not only, as it is also used in veterinary medicine. Endoscopic devices allow an absolutely harmless endoscopy.
Classification
Endoscopes are classified depending on which area of medicine will be used. The main group of medical equipment in the industry include gastroenterologists: esophagoscope, universal gastroduodenoscope, gastroscope and duodenoscope. Endoscopic equipment is used for endoscopy of the urinary system. It includes an urethroscope, a cystoscope.
Endoscopes are also divided into flexible and rigid. A rigid endoscope (aka optical tube) is easy to build and use. It is a small diameter tube with LED fibers located inside, which at a certain angle and the correct incidence of light make it possible to see parts in hard-to-reach places, for example, in mechanical engineering and engineering. Yes, and endoscopic instruments found their application there.
Flexible endoscopes are more associated with medicine than with mechanics. Also now there are video endoscopes that allow you to record the path of the device and everything that it encounters during its journey.
Reviews of popular endoscopic devices
We will only consider endoscopes of Russian production, since more often in Russia it is used devices of our own production, although we also purchase equipment from Japan, Germany and the USA, and each of them has its own characteristics in operation.
One of the brightest manufacturers of Russian endoscopic equipment is the LOMO campaign, these devices are appreciated by our doctors. Manufacturers produce both flexible and rigid endoscopes. The average price is 200-300 thousand rubles. Also, one of the options for high-quality devices can be represented by the optimized endoscopic devices. The average price is 30-70 thousand rubles. Unlike LOMO, they have a much wider assortment.
Sterilization
There are a lot of methods for sterilizing endoscopic equipment. Almost all of them are used in practice in medicine. But do not forget about the gentle methods of processing endoscopic equipment, since the instruments are all made of a certain material, so you can easily damage the tool. One of the most common methods for sterilizing endoscopes is to treat the device with chemicals, gas mixtures, and heat treatment. This is the so-called cold sterilization of endoscopic equipment.
Gas sterilization takes place in special boxes in formalin or ethylene oxide vapors. The only negative is time, it is a very lengthy procedure, but effective. Processing endoscopes with antiseptics is a simple but no less effective method of processing. Instruments are immersed in a 6% hydrogen peroxide solution for 7 hours.
Washing and disinfection cabinet
Disinfection of endoscopic equipment is a series of medical measures that are aimed at cleaning and processing devices. Also included is their subsequent storage in the hospital. One of the main criteria for sterilization and disinfection of endoscopic equipment is the presence of a specially designated office on the territory of a medical institution. This room should contain a sink for the primary washing of the endoscope, cleaning of residues after the procedure. Also, such rooms should be equipped with boxes for drying devices. The washing and disinfection cabinet contains separate vessels and shelves for storing clean inventory.
Repressors
There are special devices designed specifically for disinfection and sterilization of endoscopic equipment. These are the so-called repressors. The repressor is a self-cleaning equipment. This is such a small box that is equipped with ultraviolet lamps. There is a place where special disinfectants are poured, for example, alcohol or 6% hydrogen peroxide. The use of such repressors is much more effective, since it cleans endoscopic devices without damaging them, which contributes to the long operation of endoscopes without subsequent harm to human health. Indeed, the quality of human life directly depends on the quality of the device, its proper sterilization and processing. And even the smallest damage to the endoscope, which can be caused by improper disinfection and storage, can cause huge and irreparable damage to human health. Therefore, it is important to follow all the rules for its operation, cleaning and storage.