Olympus reportedly told U.S. managers not to issue a warning about contaminated scopes

Internal e-mails suggest that Olympus officials based in Japan attempted to hide news of a potential outbreak from U.S.


Internal e-mails suggest that Olympus officials based in Japan attempted to hide information about potentially deadly infections linked to its duodenoscopes, according to an article on the Outpatient Survey website.

After Olympus issued a safety alert about its duodenoscopes to its European customers, U.S. executives asked whether they should also warn their customers. 

The Olympus officials told the U.S. executives that issuing a global alert was "not needed" and said the problems were due to poor reprocessing by the U.S. hospitals.

Despite allegedly knowing since 2012 that design issues made the scopes nearly impossible to clean, Olympus continued blaming hospitals for the infections.

Read the article.

 

 



August 2, 2016


Topic Area: Infection Control


Recent Posts

Turning Facility Data Into ROI: Where Healthcare Leaders Should Start

Better data, smarter tools and small facility upgrades can drive measurable returns, guide ambulatory strategy and improve patient experience.


Sutter Health Breaks Ground on Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex

The new center, located on Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center campus, will feature four stories and 165,000 square feet of modernized, patient-centered space.


Imperial Beach Community Clinic Caught Up in Email Cyberattack

The unusual activity they detected occurred between February 4, 2025, to May 2, 2025.


Social Media Driving Rise in Trade Jobs

Social media is the second largest career influencer for Gen Zers.


North Carolina Children's Receives $25M Gift from Coca-Cola Consolidated

The gift is the first step towards the goal of raising more than $1 billion for the new NC Children’s campus in Apex.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.