Audit of flexible laryngoscopy use and decontamination using a chlorine dioxide wipe system during COVID-19: Assessing the risk of disease transmission

AIM: To assess the efficiency of decontamination of flexible nasoendoscopes using a chlorine dioxide wipe system and assessing the risk of disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Prospective and retrospective review of 544 patient episodes of nasoendoscopy and a study of 41 patient procedures and 22 members of staff at an ENT Outpatient Department from September 2020 to March 2021. RESULTS: Among 41 randomly selected episodes of nasoendoscopy in the clinic, there was 93%–100% compliance with decontamination guidelines suggested by ENT UK. Among 544 patients who had nasoendoscopies, 20 had RT-PCR tests within two weeks and all yielded a negative result; no clusters of consecutive endoscopies were noted. None among the 22 clinic staff had symptoms of COVID-19 infection during the study period. CONCLUSION: Accepting the limitations of the study design, this audit found no evidence of nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus related to use or reprocessing of flexible nasoendoscopes among patients and staff following good compliance to ENT UK decontamination guidelines.