Table 1.
The number of positive bacterial cultures obtained from rinse samples from biopsy channels of gastroscopes and colonoscopes and from swab samples obtained from automated endoscope reprocessors used for the decontamination of gastroscopes and colonoscopes
| Category | BC No. (%) | AER No. (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastroscope, n = 300 |
32 (10.7)* |
6 (2.0) |
<0.0001 |
| Colonoscope, n = 120 |
25 (20.8)* |
1 (0.8) |
<0.0001 |
| Total, n = 420 | 57 (13.6) | 7 (1.7) | <0.0001 |
BC, biopsy channel; AER, automated endoscope reprocessor.
Pearson chi-squared test showed that the number of positive bacterial cultures from the samples obtained from BCs was significantly higher than that from the samples obtained from the AERs (p < 0.0001).
* Fisher’s exact test showed a statistically significant difference between the number of positive bacterial cultures from samples obtained from the BCs of gastroscopes and those obtained from colonoscopes (p = 0.00585).