All flexible endoscopes have a light guide plug, an umbilical cable (cord), a control head and an insertion tube.
The light guide plug fits into the light source. The air/water and suction channels have ports in the light guide plug.
The light guide plug of a video endoscope is heavier than that of a non-video endoscope and needs to be handled with care.
The terminals in the light guide plug of the video endoscope are not waterproof and must be covered by the cap supplied with the instrument prior to cleaning.
The umbilical cable connects the light guide plug to the control head of the endoscope. Splashes or hand contact during endoscopic procedures may contaminate the external surface.
The control head contains the angulation control handles, which allow the operator to manipulate the distal end of the instrument and the suction and air/water valves. Non-video endoscopes have an eyepiece on the control head. Video endoscopes are similar in construction to non-video endoscopes, except that they do not have an eyepiece - the image is seen on a video screen.
The control head can be contaminated by the operators hands during endoscopic procedures. The angulation control handles have grooved surfaces, which must be carefully brushed during cleaning.
The hollow structure of some control handles should be noted and care taken to ensure that the undersurface is thoroughly rinsed and emptied of fluids.
The seats, which house the suction and air/water valves (buttons), must be thoroughly cleaned.
The biopsy channel port is located at the base of the control handle near its junction with the insertion tube. This port must be brushed carefully during the cleaning process.
The insertion tube enters the patient's body and is grossly contaminated during the procedure.
The distal end of the insertion tube houses the microchip (in video endoscopes), the openings for the suction and air/water channels and the lens covering the flexible fibre optic light guides.
The section of the insertion tube adjacent to the distal end is known as the bending section. The outer covering is made from soft flexible material and is particularly vulnerable to damage especially if handled carelessly.
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© The State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 2008.
