Borescope

With the cost of an endoscope going above $20,000, it’s no wonder why endoscope repair is such an important matter. The endoscope is a very sophisticated optical device that requires proper care and maintenance throughout its life. Unfortunately, when it comes down to choosing the company to make the repair, a lot of people don’t do enough research and end up picking the wrong firm for the job. Judging by the number of endoscope repair companies in existence, endoscope repair is big business. But there are a lot of repair vendors that do not have the extensive training, materials, processes and specifications to properly repair endoscopes. There are even vendors that totally modify those devices in attempt to fix them to a degree that seriously compromises the performance of the products as they were originally intended. Quite often, an improper repair results in an endoscope failure. Usually, physicians are not aware of who is performing these repairs until after a problem arises.

When choosing the company to repair your endoscope, you must be careful. Repair services with questionable reputations that primarily rely on low prices to attract business causing a lot of problems to endoscope customers and original equipment manufacturers. To avoid having such troubles, go for well-established names in the industry such as Mobile Instrument Service & Repair, a Bellefontaine, OH-based repair company that has been repairing endoscopes and other medical equipment for 26 years.

It must be pointed that endoscopes are fragile devices that quite often are subjected to harsh conditions. They are washed in automated systems at temperatures of 194 degrees F and higher. They may be packaged in metal trays with other instruments that can cause impact damage during transport or placement in the sterilizer. If endoscopes can be sterilized, they routinely are sterilized at temperatures of 273 degrees F. So it’s obvious that sooner or later, the endoscope must be repaired.

A lot of people use the same endoscope on a daily basis. A typical procedure will require the endoscope to be handled by a minimum of six people (nurse, surgeon, personnel, scrub person...), so it often has to be sterilized, transported, washed. Considering all that, it’s not hard to see how damage can occur.

The worse case scenario is to discover damage during an operation. Therefore, regular equipment inspections must be made. Scopes should be leak tested after every procedure and before disinfection. If a leak is detected, the scope needs to be sent in for repair immediately.

Probably the most common problem is when a video scope starts taking pictures by itself, or when it will not take pictures. Typically, this is because fluid has entered the endoscope, the so called “fluid invasion repair”. Other common endoscope repairs are: Air/Water nozzle unclog and/or replacement, bending rubber replacement, angulation adjustment, biopsy channel replacement, suction channel replacement.

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