Category: Outbreak Investigations

Superbugs, Contaminated Gastrointestinal Endoscopes, and a Growing Number of Hospital Infections: Is an FDA Action Imminent?

December 2, 2014 — Two superbug outbreaks of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were recently linked to contaminated gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopes. These “nightmarish” bacteria are often abbreviated as CRE. These two outbreaks were…

Recent Cases of Infection during GI Endoscopy and Other Surgical Procedures: A Focus on Patient Notification

September 30, 2014 — This article discusses a number of recent instances of transmission of the hepatitis C virus and other infectious agents during gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and other surgical…

Association of GI Endoscopy with Two Patient Deaths: Illinois, 2013

February 9, 2015 — The FDA’s “MAUDE” database (or, “Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience” database) lists medical device reports, or MDRs, which document the association of one or more…