Is peracetic acid suitable for the cleaning step of reprocessing flexible endoscopes?

Table 5 Effects and possible outcomes of peracetic acid use for cleaning flexible endoscopes

Characteristic, reason for cleaning step	Effect of peracetic acid	Possible outcome, compared with classical cleaning
Removal of biofilm	Variable1	Insufficient removal of biofilm
Fixation of biofilm	Possible1	Fixation of biofilm to variable degrees
Removal of dried blood	Partial removal1	Insufficient removal of dried blood
Fixation of dried blood	Very likely	Fixation of dried blood to variable degrees
Fixation of brain tissue	Very likely	Strong fixation of nerve tissue, including prions
Adaptation of microorganisms surviving the cleaning step	Likely, especially in gram-negative bacteria	Insufficient efficacy of disinfection step, persistence of pathogens, beginning of biofilm formation
Cross-resistance to other biocidal compounds as a result of exposure to sublethal peracetic acid concentrations	Possible	Insufficient efficacy of disinfection step, persistence of pathogens, beginning of biofilm formation

¹Depending on the formulation.