Discussions in Infection Control

An independent site by Lawrence F Muscarella PhD -- a national authority on the causes and prevention of healthcare-associated infections and related errors.

Category: Healthcare-Acquired Infections

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria carbapenem Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Carbapenems Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Custom Ultrasonics Disease Transmission Endoscope Reprocessing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Escherichia coli Ethylene Oxide Gas Sterilization Food and Drug Administration Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare-Acquired Infections Hepatitis (B and C) Viruses High-Level Disinfection HIV Infection Prevention Klebsiella pneumoniae Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase]-producing K. pneumoniae Low-Temperature Sterilization Medical Errors Outbreak Investigations Patient Notification Pentax Risk Assessment Risk Management Veterans Health Administration

Lessons Taught by a Recent “Superbug” Outbreak: Could ‘Ex Post Facto’ Notification be Warranted?

January 21, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

April 21, 2014 — Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, IL) in 2013 linked multiple patient infections and colonizations of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or “CRE,” to contaminated gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopes. This…

Best Practices Case Study Disease Transmission Healthcare-Acquired Infections Hepatitis (B and C) Viruses HIV Infection Prevention IV Infusions Multi-Dose Medicine Vials Outbreak Investigations Sterility The Reuse of Single-Use Devices

Answers Sought in Hepatitis Infection at a Hospital in New Hampshire

August 19, 2013 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

Report: “Answers Sought in Hepatitis Infection” This newspaper article discusses a recent outbreak of the hepatitis C virus due to the alleged theft of intravenous (IV) drugs. The following is…

Bedside Cleaning Byrne Medical Central Sterile Processing Checklists Colonoscopes Colonoscopy Delayed Reprocessing Disease Transmission Disposable Irrigation Tubing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) ERBE Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Food and Drug Administration Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare-Acquired Infections High-Level Disinfection HIV Infection Prevention Instrument Reprocessing Medical Errors Medivators Misbranded Devices Product Labeling Quality Assurance Quality System Regulation Reusable Biopsy Valves Risk Assessment Single-Use Disposable Devices Sterility Sterilization STERIS The Reuse of Single-Use Devices US Endoscopy Veterans Health Administration

“Disposable” Irrigation Tubing Used During Gastrointestinal Endoscopy A review of several marketed irrigating tubing kits.

August 15, 2013 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

August 15, 2013 (updated: January 27, 2015) — This article by Dr. Muscarella is the 2nd in a series of three that discusses disposable tubing used for irrigation during gastrointestinal…

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