The rolling technique over a Plate Count Agar + additives:
  1. Immediately after pharyngolaryngoscopy, transport the FE without a working channel to the designated room for manual pre-cleaning and sample collection in the following manner:
  2. The executor of the pharyngolaryngoscopy closes the transport container with the cover with the red smiley.
  3. The assistant collects the FE immediately and brings it to the assigned room for manual pre-cleaning and sample collection. The researcher will now start the procedure.
  4. Manual pre-cleaning:
  5. Remove the cover with the red smiley face from the transport container.
  6. Perform hand disinfection and put on unsterile gloves.
  7. Moisten an unsterile 10x10cm gauze pad with tap water (not too wet! No water should drip when squeezing the moistened gauze).
  8. Wipe the moistened gauze over the FE using a rotary motion from proximal to distal. Repeat three times with a different portion of the gauze each time. Include the tip as well. If there is still visible debris left on the FE, repeat until all the debris is removed.
  9. Discard the gauze and place the FE back in the transport container.
  10. Remove unsterile gloves and perform hand disinfection.
  11. Collection the sample:
  12. Use the tip and the first 10cm of the distal part of the laryngoscope for the sample.
  13. Wear a medical face mask and unsterile gloves during the sample collection to avoid contamination. Make sure not to touch the tip and the first distal part of the FE except for sample collection.
  14. Perform hand disinfection and disinfect the surface the sample collection will take place on using disinfection wipes.
  15. Open the package of sterile tweezers, but do not remove the tweezers yet.
  16. Remove the lid from the Plate Count Agar + additives plate.
  17. Perform hand disinfection and put on unsterile gloves.
  18. Fix the distal part of the FE with the sterile tweezers to prevent partial lifting of the FE from the plate while making a rolling motion with the FE. Make sure that the entire circumference of the distal end of the FE touched the agar plate only once.
  19. Place the FE back in the transport container.
  20. Remove the unsterile gloves and perform hand disinfection.
  21. Put the lid back on the agar plate.
  22. Record serial number of the FE, study number, date and time of the sample collection and sample number and label the agar plate.
  23. Place the labeled agar plate back in the heat incubator at 36 °C without the addition of CO₂ for 72 hours.
  24. Afterwards, perform a CFUs count.
  25. Transport the FE after the sample collection to the disinfection department:
  26. Close the transportation container with the cover with the red smiley face facing upwards.
  27. Transport the FE to the disinfection department and continue the disinfection process as protocolled by the hospital.