Background and Study aims: The need for repair of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) equipment appears to be frequent
and expensive. To better quantify the costs associated with echo endoscope failure,
a survey of endosonographers was carried out.
Methods: A survey questionnaire concerning echo endoscope damage and repair and consequences
of echo endoscope downtime over a 12-month period was sent to members of the American
Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy who had cited an interest in EUS.
Results: Responses were received from 56 of 138 institutions where EUS was carried out (41
%). A median of 325 EUS procedures had been carried out in the past year and a median
of two endosonographers were employed who used an average of three echo endoscopes.
Two-thirds of institutions trained fellows. A total of 225 repairs were reported for
leaks (47 %), mechanical failures (33 %), images or optics difficulties (26 %), or
other problems (1 %). Mechanical radial-scanning echo endoscopes tended to break,
on average, after 68 procedures, while curved linear-array echo endoscopes failed
after an average of 107 procedures. Echo endoscope failures led to rescheduling of
procedures at three-quarters of institutions. Institutions paid an average of $ 10
534 over 12 months for echo endoscope repairs. The average repair cost per procedure
was $ 41. There was an inverse relationship between quantity of procedures and the
per-procedure repair rate (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Direct and indirect costs of echo endoscope repairs are significant. Instrument failures
are multifactorial; however instrument complexity, instrument age, and institutional
inexperience may contribute to repair costs.
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D. B. Schembre, M. D.
University of Washington, Virginia Mason Medical Center
1100 Ninth Ave. · PO Box 900 Seattle, WA 98111 · USA
Fax: +1-206-223-6379
Email: drew.schembre@vmmc.org
