Post written by Carlos Robles-Medranda, MD, from the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Enfermedades Digestivas (IECED, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

In the present Tools and Techniques video recently published on VideoGIE, we presented our experience with a novel duodenoscope with a sterile disposable elevator cap for the performance of 700 ERCP procedures. This equipment, which has a 35% reduced distal-end reprocessing surface, maintains adequate maneuverability with a 97.5% biliary cannulation rate in our experience and has an excellent safety profile with low rates of post-ERCP pancreatitis and bleeding.

Persistent bacterial contamination rates are high, with various outbreaks of cross-contamination reported in the medical literature. The development of new equipment to improve the safety profile of endoscopic procedures while maintaining adequate technical success rates should be one of the central goals for endoscopists and manufacturers. The present video is informative as endoscopists will learn the process of assembling the disposable cap in the reduced-tip surface duodenoscope and the precleaning and reprocessing process before the performance of further endoscopic procedures.

To the best of our knowledge, this may be one of the first reported experiences using this duodenoscope with the disposable elevator cap in a high-volume endoscopy unit. Endoscopists can learn from our experience that using this duodenoscope maintains adequate maneuverability for the performance of high-complexity ERCP procedures such a biliary stent placement/removal or even digital single-operator cholangioscopy.

Prospective multicenter trials are being conducted for this disposable elevator cap of duodenoscope, evaluating its safety and technical success for the performance of ERCP procedures, and its role in the reduction of cross-contamination.

Read the full article online.

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