Superbug From Dirty Equipment Kills Two, Infects Seven at UCLA Hospital- Hundreds at Risk
About 160 people were exposed to drug resistant superbug at UCLA Ronald Regan Medical Center due to contaminated equipment used for gastrointestinal procedures.
According to ABC News, seven people were found infected with CRE, or carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, which carries 50 percent mortality if it enters the bloodstream. Patients were exposed between October 2014 and January 2015. Two of the seven infected have died, with their deaths linked to the bacterial infection.
NBC News reported that the hospital follows manufacturer-set procedures in handling equipment but now will follow procedure with standards exceeding national standards. The endoscopes that caused the infections have been set aside. A similar outbreak in the past was reported at Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center between 2012 and 2014 affecting 32 patients.
News of recent infection has patient-safety advocates blaming equipment manufacturers and hospitals. LA Times quoted Lawrence Muscarella saying that hospitals take too long and patients should be informed about the entire range of infections before going through a procedure.
Meanwhile UCLA has notified those at risk of infections and provided them with home testing kits. CRE can cause infections of lungs and bladder before it enters the bloodstream. Many patients who undergo such procedures may be critically ill, with increased risk of infection and death.
