Safety

CRE infection kills two, sickens 7 in Los Angeles hospital

Hospital Safety Insider, February 19, 2015

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Almost 180 patients at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to potentially deadly bacteria from contaminated medical scopes, and two deaths have already been linked to the outbreak, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The report says officials at UCLA discovered the outbreak in late January while running tests on a patient. This week, it began to notify 179 other patients who were treated from October to January and offer them medical tests. The infection can kill 40% to 50% of patients if it gets in the bloodstream, according to the report

The infections are suspected from coming from an endoscope inserted down the throat and used to diagnose and treat cancers, gallstones and other digestive system issues.

 



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