Medtronic touts endoscopy sheath study

February 5, 2010 by MedCity News

By Brandon Glenn

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — A new study suggests that sterile sheaths are as effective in preventing contamination of endoscopes as the traditional method of soaking the instruments in germicidal liquid, device giant Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) said.

As luck would have it, Medtronic sells just such an endoscopic sheath. Flexible endoscopes are used by ear, nose and throat doctors to examine patients for conditions such as reflux disease, snoring and chronic sinusitis.

While sheaths are equally as effective as germicides when it comes to disinfection and preventing cross-contamination, sheaths offer the advantage of reducing the turnaround time between re-uses, Medtronic said.

Enter Medtronic’s Slide-On EndoSheath System, a sterile, disposable cover for flexible endoscopes. “The EndoSheath System is designed to allow physicians to cover the insertion tube of the flexible ENT scope with a sterile microbial barrier when performing endoscopy procedures in the clinic and office environments,” said Janis Saunier, marketing director for the company’s ENT division.

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