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Home / Answered Questions / Can HIV be transmitted through gastroscopy with biopsy if cutting tool was not properly sterile or take some contamination from environmental surface in hospital (floor, desk etc.)?

Can HIV be transmitted through gastroscopy with biopsy if cutting tool was not properly sterile or take some contamination from environmental surface in hospital (floor, desk etc.)?

Hi, thanks for your question. HIV dies when exposed to air and does not survive outside the body so it is not possible to be infected with HIV through contact with the hospital floor or desk. Endoscopes that are used for gastroscopy and other internal scope procedures are cleaned between patients with solutions that kill viruses, spores, fungi and bacteria. There are strict infection control procedures within hospitals and clinics that include using the correct cleaning and/or sterilizing procedures to prevent infections. I found a 2013 literature review on Transmission of Infection by Flexible Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Bronchoscopy which you can read here www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3623380  This article lists viral infections that have been transmitted by inadequately cleaned endoscopes and HIV was not transmitted.

Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any more questions or concerns. Health Nurse