The 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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A 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 ...
continue reading...Another 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 ...
continue reading...Information 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...
It’s getting harder and harder to know just how much harm has been done in the U.S. and abroad by contaminated duodenoscopes. As more issues come to light about scope design and its impact on device cleaning and sterilization, the number of patients known to have suffered superbug infections from the devices continues to rise.
Now, thanks to a new report commissioned by a congressional investigation, ...
continue reading...The bacterial infections attributed to non-sterile duodenoscopes that sickened and killed patients in hospitals in California and Washington last year may have represented just a small fraction of the total number of cases.
A report issued by the United States Senate accuses device manufacturers of failing to report infections within the required 30-day guideline. Such a failure would lead to artificially low numbers.
Washington Senator Patty Murray ...
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