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

Probiotic Cleaning: A Complementary Strategy for Safer Hospital Floors

Managers seeking more resilient approaches to environmental hygiene are turning to probiotic systems to supplement traditional disinfection.


VITAS Healthcare Breaks Ground on New Inpatient Hospice Center in Florida

The 14,000-square-foot VITAS inpatient hospice center will open in 2027 and serve 500+ patients annually.


Mile Bluff Medical Center Disrupted by Data Security Event

While some services experienced limited and temporary interruptions, the impact has been narrow in scope.


The Proper Way to Use Cleaning Carts

Environmental services use cleaning carts every day, but they are often overlooked. Keeping them clean and properly stocked is key to preventing infection in healthcare facilities.


JPS Health Network Breaks Ground on New Hospital

The project includes construction of a new inpatient hospital and expansion of the existing Pavilion.


 
 


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.