Infection prevention in endoscopy practice: comparative evaluation of re-usable vs single-use endoscopic valves

Re-usable air/water and suction valves used in endoscopes often demonstrate risk of infection. To the authors' knowledge, the safety and efficacy of re-usable and single-use valves have not been compared to date. As such, a laboratory investigation was undertaken to compare the safety and efficacy of re-usable and single-use valves at 11 Italian endoscopy sites. Safety was evaluated by analysing the rinse liquid of reprocessed re-usable valves...