Empower Yourself with Knowledge
Your health and safety should always come first. Simethino.org is here to ensure you have the facts.
Simethicone is a generic drug and is widely used to reduce bubbles during endoscopic procedures. You may know simethicone if you have ever given this to a baby experiencing gas pains. This drug and may seem harmless since removing bubbles allows your doctor to see better during your procedure. However mounting research shows that using simethicone can lead to serious clinical dangers.
Incomplete Cleaning of Endoscopes
Simethicone can linger on endoscopes, making them harder to clean effectively, even after standard sterilization. This is due to the chemical properties of the drug which remains even after the staff have completely followed standard cleaning and disinfection procedures.
Increased Risk of Infections
Because simethicone residue can remain on the inside of an endoscope, this can create a moist, biofilm-friendly environment. Unfortunately, this can promote bacterial growth after the endoscope disinfection processes has occurred. When these scopes are used, this can lead to infections for patients during the procedure.
These issues are not just theoretical. Reports from many have linked the improper cleaning of simethicone-exposed endoscopes to outbreaks of life-threatening infections. Here are a few links you can review:
- NPR – Gas Relief Drops May Raise Risk Of Contaminated Medical Scopes
- NIH – Simethicone is retained in endoscopes despite reprocessing…
- American Journal of Infection Control – Simethicone residue remains…
So What Can You Do?
If you are concerned, you can talk with your doctor. Present some of the clinical articles above or direct them to the resources listed on the health care providers’ page.
Unfortunately if the facility has been using simethicone in their endoscopes, there is a high chance this simethicone residue will be inside their scopes. If there is residue, it will be very difficult to remove prior to your procedure.
If this is the case, ensure you monitor your health closely after the procedure and contact your doctor if you experience any issues. Post-GI-Procedure infections have been shown to occur more often than previously thought as documented by a Johns Hopkins study.
What Else Can You Do?
Thank you for wanting to do more! Please consider leaving a comment about the use of simethicone in GI endoscopy using our stories page. The comments may simply be your thoughts about this practice or they could be your experience if you noticed something unusual after a procedure.
Again, thank you for promoting awareness about this topic as your health and safety should always come first!