Endoprocess EndoInspect for Sterile Processing
Sterile processing and CS teams look down endoscope working channels and instrument lumens after cleaning. A flashlight does not reach that far, and soil or damage can sit in the passage you cannot see from the port.
EndoInspect is the camera for that work. 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm fiberscopes for the smallest channels. 1.0 mm and 1.9 mm CMOS videoscopes for larger working channels. Record on a 13" touch monitor (EP5101) with no PC, or on a USB base (EP5103) with a Windows PC and the EndoInspect Viewer.
AIT is the globally exclusive Endoprocess distributor. EndoInspect is not a medical product and is not for patient use.
Built for the SPD inspection step
Endoprocess designs and manufactures EndoInspect in Westport, Massachusetts. AIT is the exclusive global distributor. The same team that builds aerospace inspection systems now builds for sterile processing.
EndoInspect is built for the SPD visual-inspection step. AORN Recommendation 9.4 and ST91 recommend a camera for accessible internal channels.
One family, four diameters, two bases. 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm fiberscopes. 1.0 mm and 1.9 mm videoscopes. Record on a 13" touch monitor (EP5101) or a USB base (EP5103) with a Windows PC.
US-made matters for VA and other federal buyers who need a domestic lumen camera. AIT Products, LLC holds CAGE 9U7N2 and UEI HX97TKMUVND3. We can provide documentation and evidence for the procurement and contracting team so they can fulfill Buy America Act requirements.
The EndoInspect family
| What | Diameter | Lengths | Part numbers | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro-fiberscope | 0.50 mm | 80 cm | EP5017 | Lumens that 1.0 mm class scopes cannot enter |
| Micro-fiberscope | 0.80 mm | 80 cm | EP5016 | Sub-1.0 mm channels |
| CMOS videoscope | 1.0 mm | 100 cm / 190 cm | EP5019 / EP5018 | Working channels above ~1.0 mm |
| CMOS videoscope | 1.9 mm | 100 cm / 190 cm | EP5013 / EP5012 | Larger channels; single-pass lengths to 1900 mm |
| 13" monitor base | — | — | EP5101 | Decontam / wet SPD; IP65; no PC required |
| USB base | — | — | EP5103 | Windows PC or full-Windows tablet; IP65; USB-powered |
Flagship product: EndoInspect lumen inspection camera
Lumen inspection camera for endoscope channels in sterile processing...SKU: EP5017-EP5101$000 USDUnit price /Unavailable
Applications
Even after cleaning, a flashlight and the unaided eye can call a scope clean while soil is still sitting in the lumen.
The limits of a flashlight check
After manual cleaning, scopes with no visible residue have still failed rapid cleaning indicators.1 After HLD, scopes with no visible residue have still shown positive indicators and viable microbes.2 You can check the outside and the distal end. You cannot see down the working channel.
Findings from published borescope exams
Published borescope exams of patient-ready or sterilized endoscopes have found leftover fluid, simethicone-like soil, scratches, channel shredding or peel, and brush debris. Most of that work is GI. The same kinds of soil and damage show up when other flexible endoscopes are inspected.
The numbers below are from those papers. They are not EndoInspect results.
- Residual fluid in a large share of inspected lumens3
- Scratches and shredding or peel on first or early looks4
- Simethicone residue inside GI endoscopes after reprocessing. Medium or high simethicone in the water bottle raised droplets and ATP versus water.5
GI, bronchoscopes, ureteroscopes, and instrument lumens
Same job on a gastroscope, a ureteroscope, or a shaver handle: look down the lumen after cleaning.
Ureteroscope channels are small. Published inspections used a 0.8 mm borescope.6 EndoInspect 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm fiberscopes are for sub-1 mm lumens. 1.0 mm and 1.9 mm videoscopes cover larger working channels.
- 0.5 mm fiberscope: shaver handles, suction tubes, cannulated instruments
- 0.8 mm fiberscope: ureteroscopes, pediatric bronchoscopes, choledochoscopes
- 1.0 mm videoscope: pediatric bronchoscopes, hysteroscopes, nasopharyngoscopes
- 1.9 mm videoscope: gastroscopes, colonoscopes, duodenoscopes, bronchoscopes, EBUS, EUS, cystoscopes, enteroscopes
AORN, ST91, and SGNA guidance
Visual inspection after cleaning is part of the process. A scope that looks clean can still hold debris you need magnification to see. Unassisted eyes cannot confirm soil reduction down a working channel.
AORN Recommendation 9.4 and ST91 recommend a camera for accessible internal channels. SGNA includes a camera or borescope for inspecting internal channels.
AORN · Recommendation 9.4
Use a clean borescope to visually inspect accessible channels of flexible endoscopes before sterilization or HLD.
aorn.org · Rec 9.4 · View source
ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021
The use of borescopes is now recommended in the revised ST91.
AAMI News · ST91:2021 · View source
SGNA · Visual inspection 5c
Use a camera or borescope for inspecting internal channels, if available.
SGNA 2018 · p. 21 · View source
AORN · View sourceST91 · View sourceSGNA · View source
The duodenoscope lesson
Outbreaks have been tied to reprocessed duodenoscopes when no lapse in reprocessing was found. In one hospital, NDM-producing carbapenem-resistant E. coli was linked to duodenoscope exposure. The organism came off a reprocessed duodenoscope.7 The FDA said in February 2015 that ERCP duodenoscope design can block effective cleaning, even when the IFU is followed.8
SPD inspects channels and elevators after reprocessing for that reason.
In one published outbreak investigation, a borescope found a luminal defect on a bronchoscope.9
Repair costs after every-scope inspection
Borescope exams in published SPD and endoscopy departments have found scratches, shredding, leftover soil, and moisture that unaided inspection missed. Many of those scopes then went for repair.
One academic center started inspecting every endoscope with a borescope after manual cleaning. Total repair cost went from $1,212,702 (2022) to $724,419 (2024). Mean cost per repair went from $4,426 to $2,337. Major repairs went from 12.1% to 3.2%. Defects were caught before they got severe.10
Sources
- Visrodia / Ofstead, ICHE 2014. After manual cleaning, no visible residue; 82% still had at least one positive rapid indicator.
- Ofstead, AJIC 2015. Visible residue never observed; viable microbes after HLD 64%; rapid indicators after HLD 73%.
- Ofstead, AJIC 2017 (GI); Ofstead, AJIC 2016; Barakat, GIE 2018.
- Ofstead, AJIC 2023; Thaker, GIE 2018; Barakat, GIE 2018.
- Ofstead, AJIC 2016; Barakat, GIE 2019.
- Ofstead, AJIC 2017 (ureteroscopes). 0.8 mm borescope.
- Epstein et al., JAMA 2014.
- FDA safety communication, 19 February 2015.
- Galdys et al., ICHE 2019.
- Ofstead, Smart, Lamb, Daniels, BIT 2024.
Downloads
- EndoInspect System Brochure (13" monitor)Endoinspect_Brochure_v2.1.pdf
- EndoInspect USB Lumen Inspection System flyerEndoInspect_PC-Based_USB_Lumen_Inspection_System.pdf
- EndoInspect System IFU, EP5101 (13" monitor)EndoInspect_5101_IFU_v1.3.pdf
- EndoInspect USB System IFU, EP5103EP_EndoInspect_5103_IFU_v1.0.pdf
- EndoInspect desktop stand assembly (EP5205–EP5208)EP5205-6-7-8_Assembly_Instructions.pdf
Stand assembly instructions apply to the 13" monitor configuration only.
Frequently asked questions
Is EndoInspect for use in a patient?
No. It is not a medical product, carries no sterilization-efficacy rating, and is not intended or rated for patient contact. The endoscope is the device you inspect, not a product AIT sells for patient use.
What is a lumen inspection / SPD borescope used for?
Visual inspection of endoscope channels and instrument lumens during sterile processing, including documentation of what the unassisted eye cannot see. Visual inspection is a named step in ST91, SGNA, AORN, CDC, and CMS practice. AORN Recommendation 9.4 and ST91 recommend a camera for accessible internal channels. EndoInspect is built for that look.
Which diameter do I need?
Match the scope to the channel, not the other way around. Do not force a shaft that scrapes or binds; step down. 0.5 mm (EP5017) and 0.8 mm (EP5016) fiberscopes are for the smallest lumens. 1.0 mm and 1.9 mm CMOS videoscopes are for larger working channels. Minimum bend radius is 10 mm (0.5), 17 mm (0.8), 25 mm (1.0), 35 mm (1.9).
USB base or 13" monitor?
EP5101 is a 13" capacitive touch monitor. No computer is required to save images and video to USB. IP65. Table-top and wall-arm stands available. EP5103 is a compact USB base. It runs on a Windows PC or full-Windows tablet with the EndoInspect Viewer app (Windows 11 64-bit recommended). Mac, iPad, Chromebook, and Android are not supported. Same interchangeable scopes on both bases.
Can I use this on the dirty side?
Both bases are IP65 and specified for decontamination and wet environments. Wipe the base; do not submerge it. Scopes are IP68 and can be fully submerged for optional HLD. That is wet-environment use, not a claim that the system is waterproof.
HLD or autoclave?
Scopes are IP68 and can be submerged for optional high-level disinfection (Cidex OPA preferred, or glutaraldehyde per chemistry IFU). Cold-method sterilization listed by the OEM: STERRAD 100S / 50 / NX / 100NX and STERIS V-PRO. Not compatible with autoclave, steam, or high-temperature thermal disinfection. Not compatible with automated endoscope reprocessors. Install the connector soaking cap before any submersion.
Is 1.2 mm available?
1.2 mm videoscopes are listed in the EP5101 IFU only. They are not a live product on this site. Contact AIT if you need that diameter.
Match a diameter to your scope inventory
Tell us which scopes and instruments you reprocess and we will recommend the fiberscope or videoscope diameters and the right base for your department.