OBJECTIVE To evaluate the differences between the sampling methods of peristaltic pump + membrane filtration and rinsing for monitoring the cleaning and disinfection effectiveness of flexible endoscopes, and to provide a reference for selecting an efficient sampling method for monitoring the cleaning and disinfection effectiveness of flexible endoscopes.

METHODS A total of 305 cases of monitoring data on the cleaning and disinfection of flexible endoscopes from People′s Hospital of Rizhao in Shandong Province from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2024 were selected. The results of 93 cases sampled by rinsing from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2022 were compared with those of 212 cases sampled by peristaltic pump + membrane filtration from Jan. 2023 to Dec. 2024. The monitoring capabilities of different sampling methods for flexible endoscopes after cleaning and disinfection were evaluated, and the consumable costs of different sampling methods were also calculated.

RESULTS The detection rate of pathogenic bacteria after biological monitoring of the peristaltic pump + membrane filtration sampling method was 25.94%(55/212), which was higher than that of the rinsing sampling method (8.60%, 8/93) (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the sampling qualification rate between the two methods (P=0.075). There was no statistically significant difference in the qualification rate between manual and mechanical cleaning and disinfection methods under the same sampling method. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the detection rate of pathogenic bacteria between manual cleaning and disinfection (36.21%) and mechanical cleaning and disinfection (22.08%) under the peristaltic pump + membrane filtration sampling method (P=0.036). The detection rate of pathogenic bacteria of the peristaltic pump + membrane filtration sampling method was higher than that of the rinsing sampling method for both cleaning and disinfection methods (P < 0.05). The consumable cost per endoscope of the peristaltic pump + membrane filtration sampling method was (84.90±2.91) yuan, which was higher than that of the rinsing sampling method (32.24±4.73) yuan (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION Although the peristaltic pump + membrane filtration sampling method has higher consumable costs, it can effectively improve the detection rate of pathogenic bacteria and enhance the sensitivity of biological monitoring of cleaning and disinfection.