Every year, 150 million patients go through an endoscopy with a reusable device. While reusing equipment in this way is a standard practice, there are drawbacks: before every procedure, a reusable endoscope must go through comprehensive reprocessing and even with strict processes in place, there is a risk of cross-contamination between patients.

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The FDA has raised concerns about cross-contamination specifically relating to endoscopy and has recommended that hospitals should look at innovative technologies to solve the issue.

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Single-use endoscopes are a clear answer: used just once, they eliminate the risk of patient cross-contamination. Ambu is a global leader in single-use endoscopy driving the disruption of the established reusable endoscopy segment by leveraging advanced technology. They have developed single-use products that give hospitals a safer, more effective and more convenient way to do endoscopy.

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Ambu has a long-standing record of offering innovative products such as the first self-inflating resuscitator. Now, it is leading the way in single-use endoscopy: in the past year, 1.5 million patients were treated using Ambu single-use endoscopes - more than all of Ambu’s competitors combined.

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Bassel Rifai, EVP Marketing at Ambu says that innovation is a core part of the company’s appeal:

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“When doctors work with Ambu, they find themselves working with a different kind of company. Ambu innovates on a life cycle of 18 to 24 months. We quickly learn from customers, listen to their needs and then make quick advances. That’s something that they're not used to.”

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Bassel Rifai says that Ambu answers the main challenge for endoscopy practitioners:

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“It is very difficult to clean reusable endoscopes and patients deserve a hundred percent sterile endoscope. Single-use endoscopy is the answer: it's guaranteed to be sterile and always available. We're able to innovate in single-use at a pace that's never been seen before in endoscopy.”

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Måns Barsne, EVP Innovation at Ambu says that the idea for a single-use endoscopy came from observations of engineers 15 years ago:

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“Endoscope technology is owned by a couple of suites in the hospital, like the gastro suite. Intensive care does not have their own products. The engineers found a big need for endoscopes being available all time when you actually need it.”

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Sanne Wille, Head of Clinical Application at Ambu says that it is crucial to listen to the clinicians so that each iteration that reaches the market is a continuous improvement that keeps Ambu ahead of the competition:

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“We have always had a close collaboration with customers before we start our product development. We obtain feedback on the device before and after launch. We can use this feedback to develop completely new products, or we can update existing devices in our portfolio. By doing this, we make the workflow easier for the clinicians and help them improve safety by being sterile. By using this approach, we have just launched the fifth generation of our bronchoscope based on feedback from customers.”

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Måns Barsne says Ambu uses a modular approach to innovation that makes it possible to be far more agile and faster to market:

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“One way of having a high turnover of project revisions is that we are utilizing components technology and design solutions between different development projects. We run development projects in parallel, and findings from each product produces benefits that can be utilized elsewhere in the company. The whole collaboration makes us very agile.”

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But as awareness around sustainability grows, can single-use ever be justified? Bassel Rifai says that Ambu has factored in this consideration:

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“We see a focus on sustainability, and we have the opportunity to eliminate all the waste associated with reusable endoscope reprocessing: the chemicals, reprocessing equipment, and wastewater. We also have a chance to be at the forefront of single-use endoscopy when it comes to sustainability. Our commitment to the UN sustainable development goals includes plastic offsets and working on more recyclable materials and packaging.”

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Innovating at speed - whether for sustainability or clinical excellence - is part of the Ambu brand. Bassel Rifai says that by pushing the edge of what is possible and finding new ways to achieve goals, the true power of Ambu is to define the future for the industry:

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“Ambu is at the forefront of creating a new market, from just a few hundred million today it will grow to over 2.5 billion over the next five years. What we do is to continue to lead the way in this market creation and set a new bar for what it means to innovate at a fast pace in med tech. That is what success looks like for us.”