Evaluation of a new developed disposable and portable bronchoscopy system

Background Bronchoscopy is critical in the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and its use is associated with the challenges of stringent sterilization and virus transmission risk. We developed a disposable and portable bronchoscope (YunSendo-R) and compared its safety and function with those of current reusable and single-use bronchoscopes using an animal model. Methods We compared the YunSendo-R system with a commercially available reusable bronchoscope (Olympus, BF-H290) and single-use bronchoscope (Ambu, Ambu® aScope3™). Eight physicians used the three types of bronchoscopes to operate on Guangxi Bama mini pigs. Each operator performed bronchoscopy and completed a 10-point Likert scale questionnaire for evaluating visual ability and manoeuvrability. Operation time and scores were collected. Results Operation time had no significant differences among the three bronchoscopes. In visual ability, the YunSendo-R bronchoscope showed superior performance to the Ambu bronchoscope in image clarity, colour contrast, and illumination ( P < 0.05) and no significant difference in performance compared with the Olympus bronchoscope ( P > 0.05). The YunSendo-R bronchoscope had similar manoeuvrability to the Olympus bronchoscope and better scope tip flexibility than the Ambu bronchoscope ( P > 0.05). No relevant complications were reported. Conclusion We have developed a new bronchoscopy system with the advantages of disposability and portability, which was effective and safe in an animal model. It has better visual ability than the Ambu bronchoscope and similar visual ability and manoeuvrability to the Olympus bronchoscope. The YunSendo-R bronchoscope is a promising device for clinical practice, especially in reusable-endoscope-transmitted infectious diseases such as COVID-19.