In the last five years, hundreds of people have developed serious antibiotic-resistant infections at hospitals where endoscopes and other medical equipment was not sterilized adequately.
179 Exposed in “Superbug” Outbreak at UCLA
February 2015 — An outbreak of CRE infection at UCLA hospital has exposed at least 179 people, including 7 who developed infections and two people who died.
The outbreak has been blamed on a duodenoscope made by Olympic Medical Systems. It has a complex design that is nearly impossible to clean effectively, according to a Safety Communication from the FDA.
Olympus is now facing lawsuits from victims who claim the scope is unreasonably dangerous because it is so difficult to sterilize.
Unfortunately, this is not the first outbreak of antibiotic-resistant infections. Just last month, officials at a hospital in Seattle announced that 32 people were infected and 11 died from infections after undergoing endoscope procedures. A similar outbreak last year in Chicago infected at least 44 people.
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