Table 4. Publications related to failure due to a defective or malfunctioning AER.
| Reference | Origin | Micro-organism(s) (resistance) |
Problem | No. of patients exposed (positive cultures) | No. of infections (type(s)) | Action taken |
| 36 | AER | Burkholderia cepacia | No 0.2 μm bacteria- retentive filter | Not mentioned (3) | 0 | Installation of bacteria filter; microbiology surveillance |
| 37 | AER | Mycobacterium chelonae | Filtration system failure | 57 (9) | 0 | Renewal of AER |
| 39 | AER | None | Pump for injecting disinfectant did not work; non-functioning alarm system | 236 (0) | 0 | Stop use of AER |
| 40 | AER | None | No detergent | 72 (0) | 0 | Improve monitoring of procedure; traceability of cleaning process |
| 38 | AER |
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(Imipenem) |
Faulty connection of bronchoscope to processor | Not mentioned (18) | 3 (pulmonary infection) | Monthly surveillance cultures |
Abbreviation: AER; automatic endoscope reprocessor