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100+ Patients potentially infected w/ super bug-CA |
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hachiban08
Senior Moderator Joined: December 06 2007 Location: California, USA Status: Offline Points: 15627 |
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Posted: February 18 2015 at 4:52pm |
http://www.myfoxla.com/story/28143435/100-patients-at-ronald-reagan-ucla-medical-center-may-have-been-infected-by-potentially-deadly-super-bug
100+ Patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center May Have Been Infected By Potentially Deadly 'Superbug' BacteriaLOS ANGELES (CNS) - More than 100 patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center may have been infected by a potentially deadly "superbug" bacteria, hospital officials said today. Seven UCLA patients have been infected by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, bacteria, and it may have been "a contributing factor in the death of two patients," according to a statement provided to City News Service by the UCLA Health System. Hospital officials said they are in the process of notifying potentially affected patients. The potential exposure occurred "during complex endoscopic procedures that took place between October 2014 and January 2015." "The patients are being offered a free home testing kit that would be analyzed at UCLA," according to the hospital. According to UCLA, scopes used in the procedures were sterilized according to manufacturer specifications, however, "an internal investigation determined that (the bacteria) may have been transmitted during a procedure that uses this specialized scope to diagnose and treat pancreaticobiliary diseases and a contributing factor in the death of two patients." Hospital officials said similar exposures to CRE have been reported at other U.S. hospitals that use the same type of scopes. "The two scopes involved with the infection were immediately removed and UCLA is now utilizing a decontamination process that goes above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards," according to UCLA. "Both the Los Angeles County Department of Health and the
California Department of Public Health were notified as soon as the
bacteria were detected." Here's the UCLA Health System Statement: The UCLA Health System is in the process of notifying more than 100 patients that they may have been infected by a "superbug" bacteria during complex endoscopic procedures that took place between October 2014 and January 2015. The patients are being offered a free home testing kit that would be analyzed at UCLA. UCLA sterilized the scopes according to the standards stipulated by the manufacturer. However, an internal investigation determined that carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria, may have been transmitted during a procedure that uses this specialized scope to diagnose and treat pancreaticobiliary diseases and a contributing factor in the death of two patients. A total of seven patients were infected. Similar CRE exposures using the same type of scope recently have been reported in other hospitals in the United States. The two scopes involved with the infection were immediately removed and UCLA is now utilizing a decontamination process that goes above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards. Both the Los Angeles County Department of Health and the California Department of Public Health were notified as soon as the bacteria were detected. |
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Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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onefluover
Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151 |
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I know that hospital. Yikes.
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"And then there were none."
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Kay
Adviser Group Joined: October 22 2014 Location: OHIO Status: Offline Points: 7205 |
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Real serious situation, Arirish posted an article not long ago about scopes not being sterile enough and spreading some kind of bug too. I think it was out of Seattle.
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onefluover
Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151 |
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Superbug linked to 2 deaths at UCLA hospital; 179 potentially exposed
BY CHAD TERHUNE Recent Columns February 18, 2015, 7:14 p.m. Nearly 180 patients at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to potentially deadly bacteria from contaminated medical scopes, and two deaths have already been linked to the outbreak. The Times has learned that the two people who died are among seven patients that UCLA found were infected by the drug-resistant superbug known as CRE — a number that may grow as more patients get tested. The outbreak is the latest in a string of similar incidents across the country that has top health officials scrambling for a solution. UCLA said it discovered the outbreak late last month while running tests on a patient. This week, it began to notify 179 other patients who were treated from October to January and offer them medical tests. By some estimates, if the infection spreads to a person's bloodstream, the bacteria can kill 40% to 50% of patients. At issue is a specialized endoscope inserted down the throats of about 500,000 patients annually to treat cancers, gallstones and other ailments of the digestive system. These duodenoscopes are considered minimally invasive, and doctors credit them for saving lives through early detection and treatment. But medical experts say some scopes can be difficult to disinfect through conventional cleaning because of their design, so bacteria are transmitted from patient to patient. These instruments are not the same type used in more routine endoscopies and colonoscopies. The procedure in question is known as ERCP, or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The superbug is carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriacea. More: http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82855461/ |
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"And then there were none."
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Kay
Adviser Group Joined: October 22 2014 Location: OHIO Status: Offline Points: 7205 |
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http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/04/usa-superbug-california-idUKL1N0W62YA20150304?rpc=401
Second Los Angeles hospital identifies 'superbug' infectionsReuters)
- Four patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles were infected with
a drug-resistant "superbug" bacteria during endoscopic procedures that may have
exposed 64 others since last August, the hospital said on
Wednesday. |
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