Olympus redesigned duodenoscope linked to new infection outbreak

Editor's Note

A new outbreak of infections outside the US have been tied to a duodenoscope Olympus modified last year to reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria between patients, the March 22 Los Angeles Times reports.

The outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae in five patients occurred at the end of December and was reported to the Food and Drug Administration.

It is not clear whether the hospital properly disinfected the device.

Doctors have tied a superbug outbreak at a foreign health facility to a medical scope that Olympus modified last year in an attempt to reduce its risk of spreading bacteria between patients. Five patients treated with the modified device tested positive for the same potentially deadly bacteria, according to a report filed with the Food and Drug Administration.