CER Decontamination and Manual Cleaning Questions and Answers 3

Question 1

What is the maximum water temperature recommended during manual cleaning of flexible endoscopes to prevent protein coagulation?

Accepted Answer

Lukewarm water (up to 35°C)

Answer

Lukewarm water up to 35°C is recommended because hot water can coagulate proteins, making bioburden harder to remove.

Question 2

Which component of an endoscope requires special attention during leak testing before manual cleaning?

Accepted Answer

The insertion tube and bending section

Answer

The insertion tube and bending section are most vulnerable to perforations and must be carefully inspected during leak testing before immersion.

Question 3

A technician notices the enzymatic detergent solution has turned cloudy and dark after cleaning several scopes. What should they do?

Accepted Answer

Discard the solution immediately and prepare a fresh batch

Answer

Visibly soiled or exhausted detergent solutions must be discarded immediately because they can no longer effectively break down bioburden.

Question 4

When performing channel brushing during manual cleaning, how many passes should the brush make through each channel?

Accepted Answer

Until the brush exits clean with no visible debris

Answer

Brushing should continue until the brush exits visibly clean, as the number of passes needed varies with the degree of soiling.

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of the pre-cleaning step performed at the point of use immediately after a procedure?

Accepted Answer

To remove gross soil before bioburden can dry and adhere

Answer

Point-of-use pre-cleaning prevents blood and secretions from drying on surfaces, which would make subsequent manual cleaning far more difficult.

CER - Certified Endoscope Reprocessor Practice Test