Posted on 01/16/2016 3:08:11 PM PST by BenLurkin
Olympus Corp., whose specialized medical scopes are among those linked to a series of deadly "superbug" outbreaks around the country, said Friday that it will voluntarily recall and redesign the devices in an effort to prevent future infections.
The company produces the vast majority of duodenoscopes used in the United States, followed by two other firms, Pentax and Fujifilm. The devices are used in hundreds of thousands of procedures annually in this country to drain fluids from pancreatic and bile ducts blocked by tumors, gallstones and other conditions. But in recent years, they also have been linked to numerous outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant infections that have sickened hundreds of patients.
The intricate design of the specialized scopes, which have a movable "elevator" mechanism at one end that allows the instrument to maneuver into ducts and fix fluid-drainage problems, also makes it difficult for them to be disinfected and sterilized between uses.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Is this the same device that was having trouble at least a couple of years ago? Why haven’t they redesigned it already?
Endoscopes have the same problems.
Bake them at 500 degrees.
Then get a new one.
When I get “Scoped”, I always ask if they remembered to wipe the damn thing off.
It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.