A specialized type of endoscopy that looks at the gall bladder and pancreas is linked to an infection that killed two patients at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating and has issued a general warning about the specialized scope.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is the procedure that exposed at least 179 patients with bacteria known as CRE.
Seven people were exposed to the antibiotic-resistant superbug, 2 of whom died. CRE is rare in New York State.
Doctor Mark Shelly is a hospital epidemiologist at Highland Hospital in Rochester.
The Food and Drug Administration has warned that these scopes are difficult to clean, but has stopped short of banning the device that uses a camera on a long tube to look at the pancreas and gall bladder. They say it can potentially save lives.
"If it's the previous kinds of scopes, they haven't been hard to clean and that's not where the problem's been found. If somebody has to have an ERCP, there's usually a good reason for doing so."
Shelly warns against jumping to conclusions before the FDA’s investigation yields recommendations. However, the exposures in California do emphasize the importance of proper cleaning procedures for endoscopes.
"It's preferable to clean the scope off pretty well, right away, as opposed to letting things kind-of dry. We're working on work flow to make sure that things get through promptly, that they aren't cleaned in a hurry."
And the doctor says employing teams to do the disinfection helps ensure no corners are cut in the process.