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: Operating Rooms

Adulterated Devices Ambulatory Surgery Centers Aseptic Technique Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Automated Endoscope Reprocessors Biological Indicators Central Sterile Processing Chemical Indicators Design Control Device Recalls Endoscope Reprocessing Flash Sterilization Flash Sterilization Food and Drug Administration Immediate-Use Steam Sterilization Infection Prevention Instrument Drying Instrument Reprocessing Liquid Chemical Sterilization Low-Temperature Sterilization Misbranded Devices Monitoring Rinse Water Operating Rooms Product Labeling Steam Sterilization STERIS STERIS System 1 STERIS System 1E Water Filtration

The STERIS System 1E Liquid Chemical Sterilant Processing System: Looking Back and Forward

November 7, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

July 1, 2015 — Almost four years ago, on April 5, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the STERIS System 1E Liquid Chemical Sterilant Processing System, or “SS1E,”…

Aseptic Technique Central Sterile Processing Environmental Contamination Mycobacterium abscessus Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ("NTM") Operating Rooms Surgical Instruments Tap Water Water Filtration

Recommendations to Prevent Atypical Mycobacterial Infections Following Surgical Procedures

July 29, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

July 30, 2014 — This is the second in a series of three articles that discuss an outbreak of an unusual type of atypical mycobacterium following surgical procedures performed in…

Arthroscopic Inflow/Outflow Cannula Arthroscopic Shaver Handpieces Arthroscopy Device Contamination Disease Transmission Flash Sterilization Infection Prevention Operating Rooms Pseudomonas aeruginosa Rigid Arthroscopes Root Causes Analysis Steam Sterilization STERRAD

Root Cause Analysis of a Medical Error

June 14, 2013 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

By: Lawrence F Muscarella, PhD; updated: 10/29/2014: The article “Other Possible Causes of a Well-Publicized Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Following Arthroscopy in Texas” by Lawrence F Muscarella, PhD, was published…

You missed

Adverse Event Reports Case Reviews Colonoscopes Colonoscopy Endoscope Reprocessing Risk Assessment Salmonella

17 U.S. Patients Were Exposed in December to a Colonoscope Contaminated with Salmonella Bacteria, FDA Reports Reveal

January 24, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Ambu Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID-19 Endoscope Reprocessing Rebuttals Single-Use TPT Medicare Payment Status

In Support of Patient Safety, Healthcare Access, and Medicare Payment for a Single-Use Bronchoscope Model

January 8, 2024 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adulterated Devices Adverse Event Reports Device Recalls Duodenoscopes with Disposable Components Endoscope Reprocessing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) FUJIFILM ED-580XT MAJ-2315 Misbranded Devices Olympus TJF-Q190V Single-Use Endcap with Elevator Warning letters (FDA)

Guidance to Prevent Adverse Events, Including Mucosal Tissue Injuries, When Using Duodenoscopes with a Single-Use Endcap

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