Abstract
The endoscope is one of the most extensively used medical devices. Endoscopes are deterged with extreme care because they are inserted directly in the body. Electrochemical disinfection using a palladium-coated carbon cloth electrode was applied to deterge a rod-shaped tool as a potential endoscope-deterging method because it required no toxic agent, did not cause secondary pollution, and provided an eco-friendly disinfection system. The anodic polarization of palladium in an NaCl-containing solution led to the effective generation of disinfective ClO− and the simultaneous gas evolution caused natural convection that increased the disinfection efficacy. Electrochemical degreasing could also be attained by alternating between positive and negative electrode polarities.
