Discussions in Infection Control

An independent site by Lawrence F Muscarella PhD -- a national authority on the causes and prevention of healthcare-associated infections and related errors.

Category: Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (“NTM”)

Cardiopulmonary Bypass Cardiopulmonary Perfusion Machine Greenville Memorial Hospital Heater-Cooler Devices Hershey Medical Center Ice Dispensers Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Mycobacterium abscessus Mycobacterium chimaera Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ("NTM") Wellspan York Hospital

Deadly Infections at a South Carolina Hospital in 2014: Was A Heater-Cooler Device To Blame? Previously undisclosed data confirm a direct association between the infections and a contaminated heater-cooler device.

October 3, 2016 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

February 18, 2016 — A type of medical device recently linked to serious patient infections may have played a more significant role in a deadly hospital outbreak in South Carolina…

Cardiopulmonary Perfusion Machine Device Recalls Heater-Cooler Devices Hershey Medical Center Mycobacterium chimaera Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ("NTM") Wellspan York Hospital

At least 8 Patient Infections, 4 Patient Deaths Linked to a Mycobacterial Infection Following Surgery at Wellspan York Hospital Update: Now a 5th patient death has been linked to this outbreak.

November 5, 2015 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

November 5, 2015 — A hospital in Pennsylvania announced last week that it had begun notifying 1,300 patients of their potential exposure to a deadly bacteria. So far, the hospital…

Aseptic Technique Cardiopulmonary Perfusion Machine Flash Sterilization Greenville Memorial Hospital Heater-Cooler Devices Ice Dispensers Mycobacterium abscessus Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ("NTM") Outbreak Investigations Tap Water

Greenville Health System Settles a Lawsuit Claiming Negligence Caused a Patient’s Infection, Death

July 13, 2015 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

July 13, 2015 — South Carolina’s Greenville Health System has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of a surgical patient who died in 2014 from an unusual infection…

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January 24, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
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January 8, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
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August 2, 2023 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Candida auris Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Duodenoscopes Endoscope Reprocessing Escherichia coli Gastroscopes MAUDE Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Risk Assessment Single-Use Disposable Devices

Gastroscopes Have Been Linked to A Cluster of Resistant E. coli Infections — Is the Risk Sufficiently Recognized?

January 6, 2023 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD