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ASGE held summit on duodenoscope infection control
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The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy held a meeting at which more than 60 experts and leaders in epidemiology, infection control, GI endoscopy and medical device design and safety convened to address best practices for prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections associated with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, duodenoscopes, according to a press release.
“Right now, all options for improving patient safety and eliminating this risk are on the table,” ASGE President Colleen M. Schmitt, MD, MHS, FASGE, said in the release. “ERCP is a critically important procedure for many of our most vulnerable patients. We wanted to bring together key stakeholders under the unified goals of examining this complex problem, exploring possible solutions and setting priorities as we advance this issue and work to ensure the safe delivery of ERCP to our patients.”
Representatives from FDA, CDC, GI professional societies, hospitals that experienced outbreaks and endoscope manufacturers attended the Duodenoscope Infection Control Summit on March 30 in Washington, DC, and the dialogue focused on next steps in key areas such as research, reprocessing guidelines and education, the release said. The summit follows several recent outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant infections associated with ERCP, and the FDA’s subsequent safety communication.
“These instruments and this procedure have served us and our patients well for many years, but this is a new challenge with a new bug,” Bret Petersen, MD, FASGE, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and ASGE governing board member, said in the release. “Every gastrointestinal endoscopy unit performing ERCP needs to plan to address this, and leaders in the field intend to guide them by approaching this with best practices from every angle.”
As ASGE physician members perform the vast majority of ERCPs, the society is committed to increase awareness of the issue, urge vigilance around reprocessing guidelines, keep health care professionals updated about FDA and CDC communications, and support endoscopy professionals at local hospitals, the release said. The ASGE has also defined a research agenda and is currently seeking proposals.
“Without question, there is more work to be done to solve this complex problem,” Schmitt said. “What was unique about this summit is that it brought together experts around many facets of the issue to critically examine the problem and discuss the hard topics. We must ensure the safe availability of ERCP to our patients.”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on April 7 to reflect the correct location of the meeting.