Infection Control-related Resources and Alerts

Infection Control-related Resources and Alerts

Patient safety is a primary concern for the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and as such, aims to support practices as a resource for the latest information about preventing infection transmission. This page is continually updated with links to content for this important knowledge area, including alerts from governmental agencies.

Special note about ERCP

ASGE physician members, gastrointestinal endoscopists, perform the vast majority of endoscopic procedures across the country and throughout the world, including an advanced, highly technical procedure called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). This procedure is performed with a device known as a duodenoscope. Duodenoscopes are side-viewing endoscopes designed for visualization of the interior of the duodenum. ERCP is an important and potentially life-saving procedure, and one that should not be seriously constrained, lest patients lose access to its benefits.

In the twenty-tens, transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriacae (CRE) occurred through ERCP at multiple centers across the globe. CRE is a type of multi-drug resistant bacteria, sometimes referred to as "superbugs." As the leader in patient safety and quality in gastrointestinal endoscopy, ASGE convened Duodenoscope Infection Control Summits in Washington, DC in 2015 and in 2019, to defined and continue to refine the research agenda to study this critically important issue. We continue to work actively with many stakeholder groups to address the critically important issue of safety in the delivery of ERCP, including the FDA, CDC, and others.

Media Resources

Important clarifications for accurate reporting:

• ERCP is NOT a "routine" or "common" endoscopic procedure. It is a highly advanced procedure.
• It is estimated that 500,000 ERCPs are performed annually. This number refers to procedures, not patients. Some patients need multiple ERCPs.

ASGE Duodenoscope Infection Control Summits

• 2019 ASGE Infection Control Summit (2021 white paper American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Infection Control Summit: updates, challenges, and the future ofinfection control in GI endoscopy)   
• 2015 ASGE Duodenoscope Infection Control Summit Executive Summary 

Guidelines

Multisociety guideline on reprocessing flexible GI endoscopes and accessories 
Gastrointest Endosc 2021:93:11–33.e6 / DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.09.048 

ASGE guideline for infection control during GI endoscopy 
Gastrointest Endosc May 2018 Volume 87, Issue 5 / DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2017.12.009 

GI Endoscope Reprocessing: A Comparative Review of Organizational Guidelines and Guide for Endoscopy Units and Regulatory AgenciesGastrointestinal Endoscopy In Press Corrected Proof Published online: March 15, 2022 

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2021.09.024

From the CDC

Essential Elements of a Reprocessing Program for Flexible Endoscopes – Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practice Advisory Committee