Hartford Hospital has notified 281 patients that they may have been exposed to a strain of antibiotic-resistant E. coli after undergoing procedures using duodenoscopes over the last year, according to a report from the Hartford Courant.
The exposure is tied to two specific scopes, which were removed from use in December 2014. The hospital discovered the possible exposure after seeing an increase in patients who had a specific strain of E. coli. They were connected to the two scopes, according to the report.
“We do not believe any of our patients are in danger, but because safety is one of our core values, we are reaching out to every patient who has undergone this procedure and may have come in contact with this version of E. coli,” a hospital statement reads, according to the Courant.
Patients who were possibly exposed can come into the hospital to be screened for the bacteria, according to the report.
While the scopes in question are the same type of scope tied to infections at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, it is not the same type of “superbug” bacteria (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae). This strain of E. coli, while resistant to some antibiotics, can be treated with others.
The duodenoscopes are said to be “almost impossible to clean correctly,” and their difficult-to-clean design is what caused the exposure in this case, according to the Courant.
More articles on duodenoscopes:
ECRI Institute: Culture duodenoscopes to reduce CRE infections
How to safely reprocess scopes tied to ‘superbug’ infections: Experts weigh in
APIC, SHEA weigh in on infections tied to ERCP scopes
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