Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1251567
43 Executive Briefing he didn't think it would make financial sense to pitch devices after every use. Dr. Hogarth eventually realized the cost benefit of single-use devices by observing a colleague and using them himself. His initial reaction, however, was one familiar to Jens Kemp, vice president of marketing at Ambu Inc., a provider of single-use devices. In an interview with Becker's, Mr. Kemp said it's important to consider all the costs associated with reusable bronchoscopes. "When you look at the cost of using reusable scopes — and all the steps you have to go through to reprocess the scopes, all the expensive capital that goes into buying the scopes and repairing the scopes — there's actually a great cost benefit to single use," he said. For the same reasons, single-use bronchoscopes don't necessarily generate more waste than reusable bronchoscopes do. Reusable devices require heaps of reprocessing materials like brushes, sponges, towels, and PPE to be discarded, according to research from Ms. Ofstead's team. Still, Ambu is being proactive about these concerns. The company plans to roll out a program in which it will collect discarded single-use scopes and ship them to recycling facilities that can sort broken parts from usable parts and convert the remaining medical waste to energy. Quality and applications Another misconception, according to Mr. Kemp, is that single-use bronchoscopes are poor-quality devices. He wants physicians under this impression to understand how rapidly technology is evolving — and how far it has already come. "A typical reusable endoscope might have a life cycle of six to eight years before you see a new generation of scopes, whereas with single-use, the typical product life cycle is two to three years," he said. "There's much faster incorporation of new technologies into single-use scopes." Rapid innovations are making single-use bronchoscopes viable for a growing number of procedures – and when physicians get these devices in their hands, they're impressed with the functionality, Mr. Kemp added. Although more than 3,000 hospitals rely on Ambu's single-use bronchoscopes, some providers are still surprised at how well the product compares with features typically associated with reusable bronchoscopes, such as high image quality. While single-use bronchoscopes are developing "better and better optics," as Dr. Hogarth put it, reusable bronchoscopes still have their time and place. He noted that certain situations — such as ones involving internal bleeding — may necessitate the highest quality optics available. In general, though, single-use bronchoscopes offer unique advantages beyond lowering the risk of cross-contamination. Dr. Hogarth commended the fact that they come sterilized and ready for use. He also described scenarios in which getting a bronchoscope positioned properly may actually damage the scope, which would take a reusable scope out of rotation. "If you're using an expensive, reprocessed scope, that's going to be a big problem," he said. "But if you damage my disposable scope, I don't care. You can be more aggressive in getting what's necessary, and you're not going to cause damage in a way that harms [future] patients." The view from here With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the dangers of contagion, the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology has issued guidelines asking physicians to use disposable bronchoscopes when bronchoscopy is warranted. The recommendations, which were based on CDC reports, say the use of disposable bronchoscopes that don't require reprocessing, maintenance or repair can "protect patients and staff." Protecting healthcare workers warrants particular concern, Ms. Ofstead said. If staff members contract an infection — which is more likely if they're handling the device through various reprocessing stages — they can't be on the front lines helping to treat COVID-19 patients and provide other needed services. "We could cripple ourselves by putting sterile processing or endoscopy lab workers in danger and cripple our ability to run hospitals by spreading germs in these areas," Ms. Ofstead said. Not only do single-use scopes protect medical personnel, they also help conserve personal protective equipment. When the pandemic subsides, there will be continued benefits to disposable bronchoscopes, according to Dr. Hogarth. Having single-use bronchoscopes waiting on shelves in the ICU eliminates the need to haul bronchoscope towers back and forth from central reprocessing locations, for instance. More importantly, stocking shelves with single-use bronchoscopes means they're readily available for use in patients. They enable clinicians to diagnose pneumonia — and see the bacteria causing it — sooner than if they needed to wait for the bronchoscope to be reprocessed. These advantages mean there's good reason to believe more hospitals will look to single-use bronchoscopes — and other kinds of single-use scopes — during the pandemic and beyond, according to Mr. Kemp. "There's a heightened awareness around infections and contamination in hospitals," he said. "I also think there's heightened awareness of how cumbersome and intensive cleaning processes are in hospitals, and how many resources are required to ensure that hospitals are compliant with cleaning standards." By underscoring these concerns, Ms. Ofstead said, the pandemic can bring much-needed change in bronchoscope selection. "Every scope put into a vulnerable patient should be sterile," she said. "That's why I think single-use scopes are a good option. Every time, you know for sure that's a sterile scope going into the patient. But it's absolutely essential that there be strict adherence to quality assurance standards whenever reusable bronchoscopes are used." n Ambu has been bringing the solutions of the future to life since 1937 and a decade ago launched the world's first single-use flexible bronchoscope, the Ambu® aScope™. Today, millions of patients and healthcare professionals worldwide depend on the efficiency, safety and performance of our single-use endoscopy, anaesthesia, and patient monitoring & diagnostics solutions. Headquartered near Copenhagen in Denmark, Ambu employs approximately 3,000 people in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific.