Repair Issues

Repairs range from simple to complex. Simple fixes are often done on diameter videoscopes while more complex fixes might be needed for small diameter fiber scopes that have image problems, for example. One significant challenge in today's endoscope industry is the control of maintenance and repair costs of these delicate instruments.


"The most common service problems are those that stem from faulty, or nonexistent leak testing," says Buxbaum. "Simple and inexpensive repairs, resulting from the failure of a component can become catastrophic if not detected and corrected promptly, thereby allowing fluid to invade the scope and compromise the optics of the instrument."

S.R.I. goes through a 14-point inspection process that starts with looking at optical illumination and diagnosing the problem.

"We go through a pretty extensive overview of each scope that comes in and that's not a charge to the customer as we will deliver a free quote of what has to be repaired and they elect to accept it or not," says Gross. "I have two former Olympus techs and a Wolf tech that stay quite involved in what they do in repairs."

In some cases, ISOs rebuild an entire scope, while others concentrate on cleaning or replacing a scope's lenses, lights or the functions of working channels.

While an OEM might charge something in the neighborhood of $8,000-$10,000 to overhaul a scope, an ISO might price the same overhaul anywhere from $3,000-$5,000.

Medical facilities that find it difficult to maintain escalating costs should consider working closely with a repair company who offers added value services to assist in the reduction and control of repair costs.

One of the most common and dreaded repairs is fluid invasion. Endoscopes are hermitically sealed and when there is a breach in this seal, the scope is vulnerable to humidity or fluid invasion.

"FrontLine Medical has designed a program termed 'ENDEAVOR' which clients are guaranteed to never pay for fluid charges again," Spivey says. "Our education-based program was designed to introduce communication tools to professionals which they can integrate into their clinical workplace to reduce the incidences leading to endoscope repair.

Townsend Surgical specializes in the repair of small diameter fiberscopes.
Recently, demand has been strong for this service.

"The most common service we provide is image bundle replacement," Townsend says. "This is due to the delicate nature of the small diameter fiberscope. The time it takes our master technician to fully train qualified candidates and our

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