The growing number of gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures is associated with increasing risk of equipment damage, with consequences for workflow efficiency, scheduling, and hospital costs. The distal end of flexible endoscopes is particularly vulnerable during transport and handling, and even minor trauma can cause substantial downtime and expensive repairs. Proper handling is known to reduce preventable damage, and distal-tip protection devices offer an additional safeguard by shielding the endoscope tip during storage and transfer. In April 2025, our center introduced a single-use tip protector (Bumper®, Vytill, France; unit cost 2.2 €). This study evaluated the operational and economic impact of its routine implementation, comparing institutional activity before and after its introduction.

We conducted a retrospective analysis comparing two periods: April–September 2024 (no tip protection) and April–September 2025 (universal use of tip protection on all gastroscopes, colonoscopes, duodenoscopes, and EUS scopes). Institutional maintenance and activity records were reviewed to extract the total number of procedures, downtime days, repair events, and repair-related costs for each period. For 2025, the total expenditure on single-use tip protectors was calculated as 2.2 € per procedure. Outcomes were expressed as cumulative values and rates per procedure. Primary endpoints were changes in repair frequency, downtime, and total financial impact after inclusion of protection costs.

A total of 2,105 procedures were performed in 2024 and 2,654 in 2025. Downtime decreased from 579 days in 2024 to 303 days in 2025, a reduction of 276 days (48%). Repair events decreased from 12 to 4 (74% reduction), corresponding to a drop in repair rate from 0.57% to 0.15% of procedures. Repair-related costs fell markedly from 17,987 € in 2024 to 943 € in 2025, yielding 17,044 € in direct savings (95% reduction).The cost of the protection program in 2025 was 5,839 €. After incorporating this expenditure, the overall net saving was 11,205 €.Cost per procedure decreased from 8.55 € in 2024 (repairs only) to 2.56 € in 2025 (repairs + protection), representing a 70% relative reduction. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio showed a net saving of 40.6 € per downtime day avoided.

Routine application of a distal-tip protector led to a major reduction in repair events, instrument downtime, and repair-associated costs. The intervention remained strongly cost-saving, improving both operational continuity and economic efficiency. These results support systematic distal-tip protection as an effective and inexpensive measure to preserve endoscope integrity and optimize resource utilization.