------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 00:29:34 -0700
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 03:29:31 EDT
Subject: Re: [OM] OK, I had to change the subject line - OT
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Olympus endoscopes somebody commented:
<< Both were being discarded by a local hospital as unservicable.
> > It seems the optics are still good but cracks in the body
> > made it impossible to properly clean and sterilize.
>>
Interestingly the fibreoptic glass in the flexible 'scopes is damaged by
x-rays over time. The endoscopes are usually used under flouroscopy so they
age by getting darker and darker until either they get re glassed or sold off
as unserviceable. Some hospitals would have them re-fibred even though the
cost was high because it came out of a maintenance budget instead of out of a
capitol equipment budget which has a different approval route. Prior to the
use of fibre optic scopes they used to use solid endoscopes (industrial
versions are called borescopes) . The contortions required to use these on
people was horrible!. For some e.n.t. (ear nose and throat) dept use they
probably still use solid scopes whcih are cheaper,less fragile,smaller and
have better optical quality.
I have to admit to being another list member who owns an old
endoscope. (Not Olympus) This unit is a solid unit which only has fibers for
the illumination section not the viewing section.
Olympus used to be the undisputed leader in Endoscopes but Fuji
Industries became a significant competitior at one stage. Edmund Scientific
used to offer (relatively) low cost Industrial borescopes in there catalog.
Cheers,
Tim Hughes
>>Hi100@xxxxxxx<<
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