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 Quality, Safety

Aseptic Technique Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections Central-Line Venous Catheters Data Validation Disease Transmission Healthcare Quality, Safety Infection Prevention Interventions Published Infection Rates

Three Facts and Myths about Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs)

December 11, 2012 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

A blog by Lawrence F Muscarella, PhD: 1. Fact? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR; click here to read the…

Colonoscopes Disease Transmission Flexible "ENT" Laryngoscopes Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare Quality, Safety High-Level Disinfection Infection Prevention Probes Risk Assessment Risk Management Veterans Health Administration

A Tale of Two Assessments of the Risk of Disease Transmission

December 11, 2012 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

December 11, 2012 (updated 8-5-2014): The Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) decision in 2009 not to notify patients of the several infection-control breaches confirmed within the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, which…

Bundles Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections Central-Line Venous Catheters Checklists Healthcare Policy Healthcare Quality, Safety Interventions Published Infection Rates

Infection Rates and the Evaluations of Interventions: A Common ‘Post Hoc Fallacy’?

October 24, 2012 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

This article provides a reply to a Wall Street Journal article entitled: “Medicare Shift Fails to Cut Hospital Infections” and posted October 10, 2012. It provides some tools to use…

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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Endoscope-Associated Infections Healthcare Quality, Safety Healthcare-Acquired Infections Medicare's HAC Reduction Program

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Adverse Event Reports Food and Drug Administration Food Drug and Cosmetic Act Informed Consent Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Misbranded Devices Patient Notification Warning letters (FDA)

Hundreds of Thousands of Device Reports Were Submitted Late to FDA, a New Study Has Found, Raising Safety Questions

May 13, 2025 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Colonoscopy Endoscope Reprocessing Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Hepatitis (B and C) Viruses HIV Patient Notification Vanderbilt Medical Center

Endoscopy Patients at Vanderbilt Potentially Exposed to HIV and Hepatitis, County Officials Have Confirmed

November 26, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Bronchoscopes Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Endoscope Reprocessing Gastroscopes Infection Prevention Rebuttals TPT Medicare Payment Status

Dr. Muscarella’s Recent Recommendations to Medicare to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Infections

September 16, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD