Nsc10

To assess the impact of repeated PAW treatment on duodenoscope polymer structure, a challenge test was performed. The samples were immersed in PAW for 30 minutes daily, for a 45-day period. The controls were treated similarly, but distilled water was used instead of PAW. All the samples (treated with PAW and untreated) were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
The images collected from the surface of duodenoscope samples and controls were recorded in air, in tapping mode, using NTEGRA Spectra (NT-MDT, Moscow, Russia) instrument with 3.1–37.6 N/m force constant cantilever of a silicon nitride cantilever (NSC10; NT-MDT). The roughness average values for the controls and PAW-treated samples were determined from three AFM images (scanned surface 10 × 10 μm) using free data analysis software Gwyddion (version 2.20, http://gwyddion.net/).
The surface morphology of the controls and treated samples was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (Quanta200; FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, USA) at 20 kV with low-vacuum secondary electron (LFD) detector. In order to obtain the elemental information, EDX analysis using a silicon drift detector was performed on both controls and samples.