Tainted Scopes Cause Deadly Superbug Infections
A duodenoscope is a flexible tube that doctors thread through the mouth, throat and stomach and into the beginning of the small intestine, which is the duodenum. In a procedure called, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), doctors use the duodenoscope to get a look at the digestive system of the patient and it allows them to diagnose health conditions during hundreds of thousands of ERCP procedures every year. The problem is, that these complex scopes have many small parts that get exposed to the tissues and fluids of the patient’s body. If the scopes are not adequately cleaned and sterilized, they can transfer bacteria from one patient to the next.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that around 350 patients from 41 medical facilities in the U.S. and around the world were infected from tainted scopes between January 2010 and October 2015. The House Oversight and Government Reform committee, led by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) is conducting a year-long inquiry into the issue of tainted scopes causing infections. There was a series of outbreaks of superbug infections, which included the ones at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles according to CNN. Three patients died and five more were sickened after exposure to the antibiotic-resistant superbugs caused by tainted duodenoscopes.
Rep Lieu has introduced a bill called, the DEVICE Act, which would impose stricter requirements on device manufacturers. Companies would be required to notify the FDA when they issue safety warnings related to the design and cleaning of their devices, and when they change the design or cleaning instructions for the devices.
The FDA has an ongoing investigation of duodenoscopes and the associated infection risk. The FDA has also released a Medical Device Safety Communication with regard to duodenoscopes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Interim Duodenoscope Surveillance Protocol, which can serve as a guide for medical facilities who are assessing how they are cleaned, and reprocessed.
Infections caused by tainted duodenoscopes are just one example of hospital-associated infections (HAIs), which are infections that patients can get while they are in the hospital or other health care setting receiving medical treatment. The CDC, FDA and health care facilities across the country are working together to bring attention to the issue of HAIs and ways in which they can be prevented.
If you should contract an antibiotic-resistant infection, or any other type of HAI while you are in the hospital being treated for something else, you may be able to take legal action against the health care facility. Contact a skilled attorney to find out more.
#medicalmalpratice #infection #taintedduodenoscopes
Christopher T. Nace works in all practice areas of the firm, including medical malpractice, birth injury, drug and product liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and other negligence and personal injury matters.
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