Hygiene in Endoscopy

The endoscope as a possible source of infection has been a relevant topic in flexible endoscopy for decades and is increasingly being critically discussed in professional societies and media worldwide. So far, however, only outbreak series are available and no prospective randomized and thus evidence-based data. The described outbreak series at best provide a vague idea and do not allow conclusions about the real risk of infection. Duodenoscopes, echo endoscopes, and bronchoscopes are particularly critical. In recent years, there have been several critical outbreaks, especially after ERCP, some with multi-resistant pathogens, so it can be assumed that this is a real problem and not just hype.