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: Ethylene Oxide Gas Sterilization

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Automated Endoscope Reprocessors Biofilms Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Colonoscopes Colonoscopy Design Control Disease Transmission Disinfection Endoscope Reprocessing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Escherichia coli Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Ethylene Oxide Gas Sterilization Food and Drug Administration Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Glutaraldehyde High-Level Disinfection Klebsiella pneumoniae Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase]-producing K. pneumoniae Low-Temperature Sterilization Patient Notification Quality Assurance Quality System Regulation Root Causes Analysis Shelf Life, Storage Transparency Veterans Health Administration

Risk of Transmission of Superbugs during Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

October 16, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

Click here (PDF format) or here (HTML format) to read Dr. Muscarella’s “Risk of transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and related ‘superbugs’ during gastrointestinal endoscopy” (World J Gastrointest Endosc 2014; 6(10):457-474.)…

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Automated Endoscope Reprocessors Best Practices Biofilms Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease Transmission Disinfection E. coli Endoscope Reprocessing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Environmental Contamination Escherichia coli Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Ethylene Oxide Gas Sterilization FUJIFILM Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Handwashing Sinks Healthcare-Acquired Infections High-Level Disinfection Infection Prevention Intermediate-Level Disinfection Klebsiella pneumoniae Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase]-producing K. pneumoniae Olympus Outbreak Investigations Pentax Peracetic Acid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Risk Management Serratia marcescens Transmission-Based Precautions

Multiple Outbreaks of a ‘Nightmarish Bacteria’ Linked to Contaminated Endoscopes in the U.S and Europe: Has a ‘Smoking Gun’ Been Found?

January 29, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

A popular Sunday morning television news show aired a segment on January 15, 2014, that provided helpful advice about a concerning outbreak of “nightmare bacteria” that had been linked just…

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…

You missed

Bronchoscopes Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Endoscope Reprocessing Gastroscopes Infection Prevention Rebuttals TPT Medicare Payment Status

Dr. Muscarella’s Responses, Proposals, and Recommendations to Medicare to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Infections

September 16, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Case Reviews Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cosmetic Surgery Mycobacterium abscessus Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ("NTM") Outbreak Investigations Public Disclosure

15 Patients Infected with Mycobacteria After Undergoing Cosmetic Surgery at a South Florida Clinic

May 6, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Case Reviews Colonoscopes Colonoscopy Endoscope Reprocessing Risk Assessment Salmonella

17 U.S. Patients Were Exposed in December to a Colonoscope Contaminated with Salmonella Bacteria, FDA Reports Reveal

January 24, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Ambu Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID-19 Endoscope Reprocessing Rebuttals Single-Use TPT Medicare Payment Status

In Support of Patient Safety, Healthcare Access, and Medicare Payment for a Single-Use Bronchoscope Model

January 8, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD