Infection Control

Government Continues Probe Into Manufacturers of Contaminated Duodenoscopes

May 16, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The US Government is continuing its scrutiny of Olympus and the other major endoscope manufacturers following several reports of infections related to duodenoscopes in recent years. The latest chapter includes a letter written by a US Senator asking for additional information regarding duodenoscope investigations. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote a letter to the three major […]

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Are You Reprocessing Endoscopes Efficiently?

May 9, 2019 / Cost Reduction, Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency /

In today’s environment, Endoscopy and PeriOperative departments need to be very careful to follow their endoscope reprocessing protocols extremely closely. With all the reports of superbug outbreaks due to the inadequate disinfection of scopes, it is the primary job of sterile processing (or whichever department oversees reprocessing scopes) to provide safe endoscopes to use on

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FDA Releases Update On Contamination Risks Of Duodenoscopes

April 17, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released another update regarding its research into the safety and contamination risks associated with the use of duodenoscopes. After receiving further research results, the FDA is reiterating its previous recommendations regarding the proper handling and reprocessing of duodenoscopes that it released in a Safety Communication in

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How To Store And Track Extra Long Scopes

April 15, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Extra-long scopes, such as small bowel enteroscopes, can often be a challenge for endoscopy departments to track and manage. Their long bodies do not fit easily in to the standard scope storage cabinets that are typically used to store all scopes. Because of this challenge, most hospitals store their extra-long scopes in standard storage cabinets

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FDA Releases Statement On Potential Dangers Of Duodenoscopes

February 7, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Contrary to recent claims by Olympus regarding the safety of its duodenoscopes, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put out a statement regarding the dangers of using duodenoscopes. Duodenoscopes have been in the spotlight over the past several years due to a large number of patient safety incidents reported around the world.

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Having Trouble Tracing Endoscopes To Patients? This Technology Can Help

January 10, 2019 / Clinical Documentation, Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

With The Joint Commission (TJC) spending an increasing amount of time in Sterile Processing Departments, Perioperative Departments and Endoscopy Suites during site surveys, the focus on maintaining high quality endoscope-related documentation has become a focus for many hospitals. TJC surveys, though only occurring once every 3 years, have become a huge a point of emphasis

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Olympus Pleads Guilty To Selling Misbranded Duodenoscopes

December 14, 2018 / Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Olympus’ recent legal battles took a serious turn this week when the Japanese company pleaded guilty to distributing endoscopes carrying known infection risks. Olympus and one of its executives pleaded guilty in a New Jersey court to 4 counts – 3 counts for Olympus and 1 count for an executive – of wrongful distribution of

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Olympus Denies Link Between Its Scopes And Superbugs

December 6, 2018 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

In response to a recent research report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Olympus has claimed that there is no link between its endoscopes and for a series of over 200 superbug infections around the world. The constant legal battles that Olympus is facing have yet to find the Japanese company solely responsible

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Research Reveals Number Of Superbug Infections Tied To Olympus Endoscopes

November 29, 2018 / Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A research report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has revealed that the number of superbug infections in patients following the use of an Olympus endoscope totaled over 190 between 2012 and 2015 in the United States and Europe. The number of deaths linked to patients infected with superbugs and the role superbugs

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Scope Documentation Lacking? This Technology Can Help

November 20, 2018 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Over the last several years, endoscope-related outbreaks from around the US and the world have led to increased oversight of the endoscope high-level disinfection (HLD) process at many hospitals. Many hospitals are now finding themselves in a struggle to oversee the HLD process at their facilities without introducing too much oversight and intervention into the

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