The referenced scope was returned to the manufacturer.A visual inspection was performed on the scope and confirmed the excessive broken fibers (black dots) throughout the image.In addition, the bending section skeleton at the distal end was protruding out from the bending section cover.The bending section damage is approximately 70mm from the distal end side, which was leaking from the bending section cover.The bending section cover was removed to reveal the extent of the damage to the bending section; it was confirmed that the bending section skeleton was fully separated producing sharp edges near the insertion tube side.The bending section support pins, were still intact and not lifted.A review of the instrument's history indicates the scopes was last repaired on may 7th 2019.Based on the evaluation, the likely cause of the bending section skeleton breaking is due to excessive force and/or stress, attributed to mishandling.The instruction manual states the following; ¿do not twist or bend the bending section with your hands.Equipment damage may result¿.The instructions for safe use manual also indicates that, damage to the bending section would happen if excessive force was applied while angulating in the opposite direction if there was no movement from the bending section; this would occur more so in a narrow environment.As part of our investigation, multiple follow ups were made the user facility to obtain additional information regarding the reported event but no information was obtained.If additional information becomes available, this report will be supplemented accordingly.
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