In 2013 and 2014, at least eight patients of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia contracted CRE infections after procedures using a specialized endoscope called a duodenoscope, used to examine the bile and pancreatic ducts. These CRE super bugs (Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) are often fatal, with outbreaks having a mortality rate of about 40%, and include New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Bad Bug Law Team® are helping patients sickened in CRE outbreaks across the country. They are also helping families who have lost loved ones.
Duodenoscopes are used for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). They are manufactured by Fujifilm, Pentax Medical, and Olympus.
Although hospital officials said they had found no proof that the duodenoscopes had transmitted the CRE infections at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, biomedical engineer Lawrence Muscarella told Philly.Com:
“Further investigation would seem appropriate to see whether the instruments can be confirmed as being the source.”