7 Recent reports in interventional endoscopy
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Healio Gastroenterology presents the following reports on the most recent research in endoscopy.
These reports cover some of the most recent developments on balloon-assisted enteroscopy, the current state of endoscopic education and how doctors across the country worked toward reopening their endoscopy centers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
AGA recommends bidirectional endoscopy to evaluate iron deficiency anemia
The American Gastroenterological Association recently published clinical guidelines for gastrointestinal evaluation of iron deficiency anemia in Gastroenterology.
“These practice recommendations for the initial gastro-intestinal evaluation of [iron deficiency anemia (IDA)] were developed using the GRADE framework, with the goal of promoting high-quality and high-value care,” Cynthia W. Ko, MD, from the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and colleagues wrote. “IDA is extremely common worldwide, and a gastrointestinal cause should be considered in all patients without an obvious etiology.” READ MORE
The 'new normal' for endoscopic education during the COVID-19 pandemic – by Uzma D. Siddiqui, MD, FASGE
Due to COVID-19, Chicago and the entire state of Illinois went into lockdown mid-March. In our endoscopy unit, we transitioned to only doing emergent procedures and restricted access to all fellows to minimize personal protective equipment (PPE) use and number of people in the endoscopy unit. At the onset of the pandemic, it was difficult to estimate the availability of PPE, including the possibility of re-processing equipment such as masks. While we did not know how severely our hospital would be affected by COVID, given our location in a major urban city, we correctly anticipated a significant burden. In addition to limiting staff in the procedure room, we rotated the attending physicians and nursing staff, while the office staff worked remotely. These restrictions were maintained for 6 weeks until the end of April when the COVID numbers declined and Illinois public health officials approved opening up procedure units to allow for elective procedures. READ MORE
Resuming endoscopy in the wake of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic had a vast impact and necessitated a worldwide response. However, getting things back to normal is likely to come on a country-by-country, state-by-state and in some cases, city-by-city basis.
Endoscopy falls squarely into that reality. Non-emergent, endoscopic procedures were among the many “elective” procedures suspended when the pandemic reached full fervor in mid-March and continued well into the next 2 months. That meant the endoscopist’s bread and butter procedures, the screening colonoscopy, had to be put on the shelf until officials had a better grasp on the coronavirus disease and the outlook for society improved. READ MORE
Balloon-assisted enteroscopy has good short-term efficacy for Crohn’s strictures
Dilating small intestinal Crohn’s disease strictures with balloon-assisted enteroscopy had good short-term technical and clinical efficacy, according to a meta-analysis published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
Dominik Bettenworth, MD, of University Hospital of Münster in Germany, and colleagues wrote that endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) has become an important tool for the treatment of CD strictures. READ MORE
Olympus acquires Arc Medical Design, Endocuff devices
Olympus announced a deal to acquire Arc Medical Design, creator of the Endocuff devices designed to improve adenoma detection during colonoscopy, according to a company press release.
Olympus already holds the rights to the Endocuff Vision device, and now will acquire the rights to other devices, including Endocuff Glide and Enterocuff. READ MORE
Double disinfection, liquid sterilization both produce low culture rate for duodenoscopes
Double high-level disinfection and liquid chemical sterilization of duodenoscopes both produced low rates of positives cultures, according to the results of a randomized trial.
Mark Andrew Gromski, MD, of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote that liquid chemical sterilization (LCS) has been seen as a potential alternative to traditional disinfection that could be easier on sensitive equipment like duodenoscopes. READ MORE
Ambu receives 510(k) clearance for single-use endoscope for GI conditions
Ambu Inc. announced it received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Ambu aScope Duodeno.
“At Ambu, we are determined to advance patient safety through innovative design of single-use devices, and we are excited to improve safety for the 2 million patients each year who require an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography) procedure,” Juan Jose Gonzalez, CEO of Ambu A/S, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, said in the release. “It’s no longer necessary to balance the necessity of the procedure against the risk of infection from a reusable endoscope. Now, both doctor and patient can focus on diagnosis and treatment by using a sterile, single-use duodenoscope.” READ MORE
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