Operator Perception of The Performance of Multiple Single-Use Bronchoscopes Compared to Standard Re-Usable Bronchoscope |Biomedgrid

Background and objectives: Multiple single-use bronchoscopes exist on the market but have not been directly compared to each other in terms of operator preference and overall performance. We sought to compare operator perception of the performance of three single-use bronchoscopes to each other and a standard re-usable bronchoscope. Methods: Operators performed a diagnostic bronchoscopy on an ex-vivo model with and without a tool in the working channel and completed a survey regarding the performance of each bronchoscope afterwards. Results: A total of 9 physicians completed the survey. The Olympus re-usable bronchoscope received the highest overall score (90.8), followed by H-SteriScope (83.0), A-Scope 4 (75.2) and GlideScope BFlex (51.4). The Olympus re-usable bronchoscope was rated highest on average in every category except maneuverability into difficult airway segments. The H-SteriScope was rated highest in terms of maneuverability into difficult airway segments both with and without a tool in the working channel. The Glidescope BFlex had the lowest average rating in every domain.