At least 250 people have contracted infections spread by contaminated medical scopes in the past three years, according to a new report commissioned by Sen. Patty Murray, according to an article on the Seattle Times website.
The toll of infections is far higher than federal investigators previously estimated, according to a U.S. Senate committee report.
The new figures include the outbreak at Virginia Mason, where at least 39 people were sickened and 18 died between 2012 and 2014 after being infected with multidrug-resistant infections spread by scopes that could not be properly cleaned, even after following manufacturers’ directions.
The report confirms that the manufacturer controlling 85 percent of the specialty endoscope market in the U.S., knew as early as 2012 that the scopes could harbor dangerous bacteria and didn’t warn U.S. hospitals for three years.
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