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 […]
Scope Documentation Lacking? This Technology Can Help Read More »
A hospital in Western Pennsylvania has recently been hit with a class action lawsuit from patients who underwent ultrasound procedures at the hospital. UPMC Jameson, a hospital in the UPMC Health System, had recently reached out to more than 200 patients who underwent ultrasound procedures at the hospital from October 2017 to October 2018. Attorney
Improper Ultrasound Probe Disinfection Leads To Class Action Lawsuit Read More »
Several recent studies have shown that despite best efforts to follow manufacturer reprocessing guidelines, bronchoscopes deemed ready for patient use are still contaminated at a high rate. Some of the most recent research highlighting the difficulties of disinfecting bronchoscopes was published by Cori Ofstead, MSPH. In a recent presentation at the annual meeting of the
Study Reveals Bronchoscopes Ready For Use On Patients Are Still Dirty Read More »
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Your hospital has a great set of processes and protocols in place when it comes to reprocessing your flexible endoscopes. You even have a great system for logging clean scopes in and out of your scope storage areas. You believe that your staff are properly trained, re-certified and
Caught In The Act: Can You Stop Dirty Scopes From Being Stored With Your Clean Scopes? Read More »
A new study has shown that flexible bronchoscopes that were reprocessed according to institutional standards at several US hospitals were still found to be dirty in a majority of the cases. The study was presented at the 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Conference. The study on bronchoscopes now joins other recent studies
Study Shows Bronchoscopes Still Dirty After Reprocessing Read More »
Flexible endoscopes continue to make headlines due to the risk of infection stemming from their use on patients. Many hospitals find themselves in the unenviable position of determining how they can perform critical endoscope-based procedures while minimizing the risk of infection. There is ample evidence showing that endoscopes can spread life-threatening illnesses when not properly
The 4 Steps Of An Endoscope Risk Assessment Read More »
A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins reveals that colonoscopies performed at ambulatory surgery centers lead to post-procedure infection rates that greatly surpass previous estimates. The study, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, studied the results of colonoscopies and upper-GI endoscopies (EGDs) performed
Infection Rates From Colonoscopies Greatly Exceed Prior Estimates Read More »
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recently released guidelines for infection control during GI endoscopy and related procedures. The guidelines come at a time when reports of endoscope-related infections are becoming more prevalent in the media. While the overall incidences of such infections are rarely reported, there is a strong possibility of underreporting of adverse
ASGE Releases New Infection Control Guidelines For Endoscopy Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a public alert that warned about the risk of cross-contamination from the use of certain endoscope connectors commonly seen in gastrointestinal endoscopy. The alert primarily points out the risks associated with the use of 24-hour multi-patient use endoscope connectors that are labeled for use with multiple
FDA Issues Warning On Multi-Patient Endoscope Connectors Read More »
Recent research has once again shined the spotlight on the struggle hospitals face to rid their reusable medical endoscopes of dangerous bacteria. In this particular study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, 71% of “patient-ready” scopes at 3 major US hospitals tested positive for bacteria. The study found problems in various types of
Hospitals Still Struggle To Combat Infectious Bacteria In Their Scopes Read More »