Colonoscope?

OK - One of my coworkers brought in his newest tool and announced that he needed it to "do some in the wall wiring at his house."

Here's a link to what he has....

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=27&catalogId=40028&langId=-1&mainCategoryId=192137&fromSearch=Y&productId=753476#

I note in the product description it states..

"Digital Inspection Camera fits through holes as small as 3/4" and gets into, under and around tight spaces."

Well you can all imagine the first use that came to my mind! 😃

Please Note: I am not endorsing the use of this product for any other purpose then what is intended by the manufacturer.

I searched for it on google and found that it cost about $140.00, much less than a colonoscope. I may get myself one.

I might like to look into tight places.

Where there's a will, there's a way... but I suspect it would be hard to sterilize.

I have not had this done to me yet, but my doctor has told me that I am due to get one. I was told that they sedate you before they start. I don't know if I'm looking forward to this or not?

You could sterilize with a cold sterilization solution like Cavicide or Cidexplus.

If someone buys one, let me know how you like it! Sounds interesting.

[quote author=medfedcouple link=topic=17238.msg175447#msg175447 date=1233111390]

You could sterilize with a cold sterilization solution like Cavicide or Cidexplus.

[/quote]

I doubt it.

A colonoscope is waterproof, but noit heatproof.

A shop tool like that will not be waterproof, and liquids will certainly seep into the fiberoptic bundles of the camera and light source on a shop tool. Cold sterilants will likely work their way into the shop tool and destroy the fiberoptic bundle.

Ooooh ... and a three foot extension... I'd love to be the test patient for this one ... bottoms up!

This tool is waterproof.

This tool is waterproof.

Key word here - TOOL. It is not a certified instrument intended for this purpose, it's designed to look inside engines and buildings. It has no angulation, no air insufflation and no capability for either lens washing or suction. It was not designed and should not be used for anything except mechanical equipment.

Cold sterilants will likely work their way into the shop tool and destroy the fiberoptic bundle.

This TOOL is not fiberoptic, it employs a CCD which is an electronic device that will be damaged by liquids. Being that it was designed for fuel tanks and the like, it probably is liquid tight and would not be damaged.

A colonoscope is waterproof, but noit heatproof.

All flexible endoscopes must be sterilized using a cold system, any form of heat will destroy the instrument.

Check out eBay and find a certified used sigmoidoscope or colonoscope. Any ideas of this expenditure on a perfectly good tool intended for industrial purposes is just plain foolish. If you are playing with this on a human patient instead of a car you should be reassessing the situation.

I would be very careful with this. In real you get sedated for the exam and even real doctors have pierced an intestine wall and that surely is no fun. I wouldn't do it

What would be the risk of using a large diameter colon tube, to give one's patient the sensation of having a colonoscopy, but not having to use a real-life expensive colonoscope? A colonoscope looks like about 12mm diameter; that is about 36 t0 40 F ?

I assume one will have to use some water to facilitate passage around the bends.

Introduction of any device beyond the anal canal should never be attempted except under direct vision. A colon tube may provide a similar sensation to a flexible sigmoidoscope as the distance of intubation could be comparable. Distention of the bowel with air during endoscopy is required to facilitate passage of the instrument. If the bowel is distended with water it would improve the success of inserting a colon tube past the sigmoid colon. A male patient would present a higher chance of success in that the female sigmoid colon has a much more pronounced curvature often with redundant loops due to proximity to the female pelvic structures. Passage beyond the splenic flexure (approx 50-60cm) is all but virtually impossible with anything other than an endoscope due to the extreme curve in the colon at this point.

If a patient has an inflammatory condition such as colitis the bowel may be easily perforated even by gentle instrumentation. Unless you have examined the bowel visually you have no idea if such a condition may exist and you are placing the patient at risk by attempting a blind insertion. If the colon tube has sufficient rigidity to allow torquing through the colon it has more than enough to perforate the bowel. Insertion of anything longer than a finger should not be attempted without the proper training, equipment and precautions.

Some of them are waterproof since some of them are used down sink drains so cold sterilization will work fine. Just find one that is used for drains or that is waterproof. There are few that are not waterproof but most of them are. We use some in our inspection business that are from the same manufacturer that make colonoscopes but they don't have FDA approval for medical use but they look exactly the same. But, if you can get a used colonoscope, this would be my choice. We won't recommend using those "low-cost shop" boroscopes because the shaft is smaller than a regular colonoscope and you could easily perforate your bowel. You have to determine what risk that are you are willing to take. People stick a lot things up there bum. There is picture in one of our proctology books showing someone had stuck a glass bottle of their bum. In the end, you will be the one that has to explain to the E.R. doctor what happened.

Here are four rules that we follow for sigmoidoscopes:

(1) Always precede sigmoidoscopy by a digital examination

(2) Never advance the sigmoidoscope when the lumen ahead is not visible.

(3) If you cannot pass the sigmoidoscope to its full length within a few minutes, be satisfid with the examination to the level reached.

(4) Never force the sigmoidoscope.

Just find one that is used for drains.

Seriously? Are you suggesting using something that may have been exposed to raw sewage possibly containing caustic agents typically used as drain cleaners, or worse? Most of the industrial boroscopes have a metal or hard rubber jacket that may be waterproof but were not designed to be sterilized with any assurance of quality. Boroscopes also have dramatically different shaft flexibility characteristics which are in no way suitable for use within the colon, and for that matter any other part of the human anatomy. Medical endoscopes are designed to be cleaned and sterilized under a specific reprocessing technique which includes regular internal leak testing to prevent cross-infection. They also have a quality of materials and finish far exceeding the standards of a boroscope. Industrial tools are not intended for use on people.

No matter how well you attempt to sterilize it, it won't be. The idea of using something that had been in a clogged drain on a living breathing patient will have them lining up at the door I'm sure. If the safety of your patient is not worth the cost to do it properly, you shouldn't be getting into this.

The cleaning is good with ultrasonic