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: Risk Assessment

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria carbapenem Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Carbapenems Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Custom Ultrasonics Disease Transmission Endoscope Reprocessing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Escherichia coli Ethylene Oxide Gas Sterilization Food and Drug Administration Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare-Acquired Infections Hepatitis (B and C) Viruses High-Level Disinfection HIV Infection Prevention Klebsiella pneumoniae Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase]-producing K. pneumoniae Low-Temperature Sterilization Medical Errors Outbreak Investigations Patient Notification Pentax Risk Assessment Risk Management Veterans Health Administration

Lessons Taught by a Recent “Superbug” Outbreak: Could ‘Ex Post Facto’ Notification be Warranted?

Jan 21, 2014 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

April 21, 2014 — Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, IL) in 2013 linked multiple patient infections and colonizations of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or “CRE,” to contaminated gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopes. This…

Bedside Cleaning Byrne Medical Central Sterile Processing Checklists Colonoscopes Colonoscopy Delayed Reprocessing Disease Transmission Disposable Irrigation Tubing Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) ERBE Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Food and Drug Administration Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare-Acquired Infections High-Level Disinfection HIV Infection Prevention Instrument Reprocessing Medical Errors Medivators Misbranded Devices Product Labeling Quality Assurance Quality System Regulation Reusable Biopsy Valves Risk Assessment Single-Use Disposable Devices Sterility Sterilization STERIS The Reuse of Single-Use Devices US Endoscopy Veterans Health Administration

“Disposable” Irrigation Tubing Used During Gastrointestinal Endoscopy A review of several marketed irrigating tubing kits.

Aug 15, 2013 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

August 15, 2013 (updated: January 27, 2015) — This article by Dr. Muscarella is the 2nd in a series of three that discusses disposable tubing used for irrigation during gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy.…

Automated Endoscope Reprocessors Auxiliary Water Channel Best Practices Bronchoscopes Case Study Colonoscopes Disease Transmission Disinfection Gastrointestinal Endoscopy GI Endoscopes Healthcare-Acquired Infections Hepatitis (B and C) Viruses High-Level Disinfection HIV Infection Prevention Instrument Reprocessing Joint Commission (JCAHO) MAJ-855 Water Tube Medical Errors Risk Assessment Risk Management Root Causes Analysis Semicritical Devices

Root Cause Analysis of an Endoscope-Reprocessing Breach

Apr 30, 2013 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD

Initial remarks: This blog, which was written by Lawrence F. Muscarella, Ph.D. and is divided into 2 parts, discusses: a confirmed infection-control breach in a hospital’s Endoscopy Unit; the employment of…

You missed

Adverse Event Reports Candida auris Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Duodenoscopes Endoscope Reprocessing Gastroscopes MAUDE Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Risk Assessment Single-Use Disposable Devices

Resistant Infections Linked to Gastroscopes — Is the Concern Sufficiently Recognized?

Jan 6, 2023 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Colonoscopes Duodenoscopes Endoscope Reprocessing Food and Drug Administration Gastroscopes GI Endoscopes MAUDE Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Risk Assessment Single-Use Disposable Devices

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Today’s Endoscope Reprocessing Practices: An Abstract

Sep 27, 2022 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Alcohol Rinsing Endoscope Drying Endoscope Reprocessing

Flushing Endoscopes With 70% Alcohol to Facilitate Channel Drying.

Feb 22, 2022 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD
Adverse Event Reports Bronchoscopes Colonoscopes Cystoscopes Duodenoscopes ENT Endoscopes Flexible "ENT" Laryngoscopes Food and Drug Administration Gastroscopes GI Endoscopes MAUDE Medical Device Reports (MDRs) Single-Use Disposable Devices Urological Endoscopes

Contamination of Flexible Endoscopes and Associated Infections:

Jan 28, 2022 Lawrence F Muscarella PhD