ArticleFrontiers in public health2026
Evaluation of the disinfection efficacy of automated flexible endoscope reprocessors for flexible nasopharyngoscopy: comparison of different disinfectants.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Although automated flexible endoscope reprocessors (AER) have been widely used for reprocessing flexible nasopharyngoscopes (FNPs), the disinfection efficacy remains influenced by multiple factors. This study aims to systematically compare the disinfection effectiveness of hypochlorous acid (HClO) and ortho-phthalaldehyde in AER for FNPs, in order to provide evidence for selecting a safe, efficient, and operationally superior disinfection protocol in clinical practice. Methods: From July to November 2025, this study was conducted in the central sterile supply department of a tertiary hospital. FNPs underwent different disinfection treatments, ortho-phthalaldehyde group with ortho-phthalaldehyde (374 devices) and HClO group with HClO (302 devices). All instruments followed the same standardized cleaning and disinfection protocol and were processed using the same model of AER. The main outcome measures included the number of colony-forming units after disinfection, cleaning qualification rate, drying qualification rate, standard operating procedure compliance rate, operational time consumption, and subjective evaluations by staff regarding their experience with the disinfectants. Results: The HClO group showed a significantly lower number of colony-forming units after disinfection compared to the ortho-phthalaldehyde group ( Conclusion: In AER, the HClO disinfectant demonstrates superior performance in microbial removal efficacy, cleaning, and drying quality compared to ortho-phthalaldehyde. It also offers comprehensive advantages such as simpler operation, shorter processing time, and higher staff acceptance. HClO can serve as an efficient and user-friendly disinfectant option for the automated cleaning and disinfection of FNPs, holding significant potential for broader application.
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