Posts Tagged 'olympus'

Medical Scopes Continue to Cause Superbug Infections

contaminated medical scopes still causing infectionsThe last time we mentioned duodenoscopes and the risk of infection that comes with their use, the United States had a different president. Britain was still firmly in place as a part of the European Union and the first #metoo post hadn’t yet been posted to social media.

It was 2015, and in response to a number of infections and multiple deaths stemming from infections contracted from the use of unclean ...

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Jury Rules Olympus Negligent in Medical Scope “Superbug” Case

olympus found negligent in duodenoscope trialA Washington state jury has issued a critical ruling regarding Olympus and their duodenoscopes and found that the corporation’s much debated product design is not unsafe. However, the jury did order the corporation to pay $6.6 million for failing to provide proper warnings for its scopes, which have been found to have contributed to outbreaks of an antibiotic-resistant “superbug” across the country since 2010.

Despite the ordered ...

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Redesigned Medical Scopes Still Flawed, Dangerous

contaminated medical scopes continue causing infectionsAnother outbreak of the “superbug” attributed to non-sterile duodenoscopes has been reported, this time infecting at least five patients. The outbreaks are the result of a slimy layer of biofilm that can build up inside a scope and shelter bacteria from being removed during the cleaning process; also known as reprocessing.

This most recent outbreak comes despite a product redesign by Olympus, one of the largest manufacturers of the devices ...

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Study Finds Bacteria in Medical Scopes Survives Intensive Cleaning

study finds bateria still present in medical scopes after cleaningInformation continues to come to light about threatening bacteria found in medical scopes used for critical procedures, the LA Times reports. Cleaning requirements for the devices have become increasingly strenuous since 2015. That’s when Olympus, a major manufacturer, disclosed to US medical professionals that their hard-to-clean duodenoscope design retained bacteria – even after going through reprocessing.

The FDA has urged hospitals and other facilities that use continue reading...