Flexible (Fiber) choledochoscopes

Tips and Guidelines for Buying a Choledochoscope

Gastroscopes are used for diagnosing and treating upper GI disorders.

Tips for Buying a Choledochoscope

1. The most important quality of the choledochoscope's image is the optical quality.

2. The following factors determine this quality: the ability of the fiber optic cables and the light source to adequately illuminate the area under view; the ability of the lens system to transmit a clear and bright image with minimal distortion to the eyepiece.

3. When making a purchase of a gastrointestinal choledochoscope, facilities should consider the device's sensitivity to heat, the time and temperature of rinsing required, the reuse life of the cleaning solution, and the use of manual or automatic processing.

4. Other issues to consider when purchasing a fiber optic choledochoscope include: shelf life, disposal restrictions, and minimum effective concentration of the cleaning solution.

5. Choledochoscope buyers should also examine the safety and cost per cycle, as well as the educational options provided by the manufacturer. They should keep in mind that preventive maintenance training can eliminate costly repairs to delicate components.

6. The differences between these fiber opric choledochoscope units include differences in image brightness and resolution, depth of focus, magnification, color differentiation, angle of vision, and field of view.

7. Videoscopes depend on the number of pixels on the CCD to illuminate the area under view, while Fiberscopes and videoscopes both depend on the light guide.

8. Videoscopes and fiberscopes with cameras depend on the ability of image processors to transmit clear images to the viewing screen.

9. All flexible endoscopes should be compatible with multiple processors. Choledochoscopes should also be compatible with multiple light sources.

10. Gastrointestinal choledochoscope users can clean the lens without removing the scope using lens washing.

11. Choledochoscope buyers should look into the cleaning process of the scope. They should carefully review their flexible endoscope reprocessing protocol to make sure it coincides with the recommendations from the manufacturer.

12. In places where EtO gas sterilization is the preferred reprocessing procedure, there might be an increased need for more choledochoscopes in order to meet daily caseload requirements.

13. There are users who want to automate part of their reprocessing with liquid disinfecting or sterilizing units.

14. When reviewing high-level disinfection or sterilization, facilities should look into the operator manual as well as the facility's infection control and risk management.

Questions for the Seller

Before you purchase your Choledochoscope, we recommend you ask the seller the following questions:

General

Are there any black dots on the visual field?

Optics

• Does it have ocular focusing?
• Does it have compatible cameras?
• Does it perform lens washing?
• Does it include a light source?
• Does it include a video system?
• Does it come in the original box/case?
• Does it have any optical defects?

Umbilical Cord

• Does it have an aspiration option?