December 29, 2015
The Centers for Disease Control have issued a report to the Associated Press confirming that a combination of factors contributed to the Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak at a veterans’ home in Quincy, Illinois this summer. This outbreak killed 12 people (11…
December 7, 2015
Officials at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, NY have revealed that routine testing performed on November 24th detected Legionella pneumonia bacteria in its cooling towers. Earlier this year, in September and October, 3 patients at the center were…
November 5, 2015
Officials at St. Joseph’s Health Center in Syracuse, New York, have revealed that earlier this year, in March 2015, another patient contracted Legionnaires’ disease at the hospital and subsequently died. St. Joseph’s is currently under scrutiny for its failure to…
October 16, 2015
2 patients were sickened by the Legionella bacteria last month (mid-September 2015) at Rhode Island Hospital, the same facility responsible for two earlier community-transmitted cases of water-borne Legionnaires’ Disease in November 2014. After last year’s autumn breakout, it was reported…
October 12, 2015
News sources in Pittsburgh, PA last week announced that the Legionella bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ Disease has been identified in two sinks in separate staff areas of the H.J. Heinz Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital campus in O’Hara, PA. This came…
July 4, 2015
Radiation errors on Minnesota cancer patients are a topic of investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health following a reported mistake at a St. Cloud cancer treatment center that left a woman partly paralyzed. If you or a loved one…
May 26, 2015
Legionnaires’ disease (LD) can be contracted at a hospital or nursing home if a water system at the facility is contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Prevention is critical because LD causes a pneumonia (lung infection) that has a 30% fatality rate,…
May 12, 2015
Several VA hospitals may have used Zimmer Persona Knee Trabecular Metal Tibial Plates before they were recalled. The recall was issued by Zimmer, Inc., an Indiana firm, after an increase in complaints of radiolucent lines (an indicator of early failure)…
March 20, 2015
UPDATE: Automated Endoscope Reprocessors (AERs) May Have Contributed to Recent CRE Outbreaks. Duodenoscopes, a specific type of GI-endoscope, have been linked to recent super bug CRE outbreaks across the US, one of the most severe of which occurred at Seattle’s…
March 5, 2015
At least 4 patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles contracted dangerous infections from a specialized endoscope called a duodenoscope. This was used in a procedure called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Patients had the procedures between August of 2014…
February 24, 2015
Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. issued a nationwide recall of two lots of Atracurium Besylate Injection, USP, 50mg/5mL single-dose vials (NDC 25021-659-05) and four lots of Atracurium Besylate Injection, USP, 100mg/10mL multi-dose vials (NDC 25021-672-10). All lots were manufactured by Emcure Pharmaceuticals…
February 19, 2015
People undergoing a medical procedure known as ERCP may have been exposed to a deadly superbug called Carbapenum-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). This multidrug-resistant bacterium is highly transmissible in healthcare settings. There are currently few antibiotic options for treating CRE infections. Invasive…