Automatic endoscope washer created in Ukraine

On the basis of LLC "PKP Vostok-N" (Kharkiv), specializing in the production of medical equipment, Ukrainian designers and scientists have set up the production of automatic devices for cleaning and disinfection of high-level flexible endoscopes. The automatic endoscope washer enables 100% sterility, making endoscopic manipulation safe for patients.

In its technical characteristics and efficiency, the device of domestic production is not inferior to expensive analogues of world brands. The design and production project was funded by Kharkiv businessman Volodymyr Manukian.

As noted at the enterprise, in Ukraine today the problem of possible transmission of infections from patient to patient with the use of flexible endoscopes is quite acute. In our country, in most medical institutions, cleaning and disinfection of endoscopes is still done manually - with the use of water, various detergents or enzyme preparations.

Manual disinfection is not only ineffective, but also unsafe for medical personnel who have to contact directly with health hazardous detergents and disinfectant solutions. The automatic endoscope washing machine performs all the manipulations independently: water, disinfectant is produced without human involvement. And the process of cleaning is displayed on the machine.

"Previously, with the manual processing of endoscopes, we could rely solely on the professionalism and scrupulousness of the staff. After all, if the cleaning is not done properly, then there is a high likelihood of pathology from one patient to another. In Europe, manual endoscope treatment is no longer practiced and is not considered possible. Only machines, only devices - that work strictly according to a previously programmed algorithm. That is, the human factor is completely excluded", - the developer Andrii Kovaliov emphasizes.

In Vostok-N the problem was approached thoroughly and literally within a year they developed an apparatus which, by its characteristics, is not inferior to foreign analogues, but is advantageously different in price.

The production of a domestic automatic machine for cleaning and disinfection of endoscopes is supported by Kharkiv businessman Volodymyr Manukian. According to him, the development of Ukrainian scientists in various fields of medicine, including in the field of medical equipment manufacturing - is a promising direction for business.

"We will always be interested in progressive scientific projects. We will continue to do this. If we do not do this, Ukraine is already in the near future at risk of being an outsider in the development of new technologies, and the innovative activity of our enterprises will fail at all. This cannot be allowed," Volodymyr Manukian commented.

According to the developer Andrii Kovaliov, over a year and a half we managed to produce more than 100 devices for high-quality automatic disinfection of flexible endoscopes.

"We have roughly estimated the market need for our units and, according to estimates, it is about 3,000 units. That is, there is considerable demand for automatic endoscope washers in Ukraine, so there is room to increase production capacity," he said.

Automatic machines for cleaning endoscopes of Ukrainian production are three times cheaper than analogues, for example, Japanese ones. The device itself was designed in accordance with the recommendations and requirements of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Association of Endoscopists.