Monday, March 2, 2015

OLYMPUS CORP.’S U.S. UNIT SUED OVER CONTAMINATED ENDOSCOPES FOLLOWING A FATAL “SUPERBUG” OUTBREAK LINKED TO THE DEVICES









FEBRUARY 24, 2015

(Bloomberg) -- Olympus Corp.’s U.S. unit was sued by a Los Angeles hospital patient over contaminated endoscopes in what may the first lawsuit following a fatal “superbug” outbreak linked to the devices. 

The complaint by a Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center patient was filed less than a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a general health warning over the use of the medical technology. 

Endoscopes, used to look inside the body, have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria that’s killed at least two people at the University of California at Los Angeles hospital. 

Patient Aaron Young was exposed to a contaminated endoscope when he underwent multiple procedures with the device in October and January, according to his Feb. 23 complaint in state court in Los Angeles. 

Olympus, the world’s biggest maker of endoscopes, was blamed in the lawsuit for failing to provide doctors and hospitals with instructions on how to properly sanitize the device. 

Cleaning, Disinfecting 

The company’s Q180V Scope device requires cleaning and disinfecting before it can be used on a new patient. After the product was redesigned in 2014, the company provided hospitals and doctors with a safety cleaning protocol for an older endoscope that had a significantly different design, according to the lawsuit. 

The older cleaning process wasn’t effective in removing all residual body fluids and organic debris, Young alleged. 

The outbreak at UCLA is linked to specialized endoscopes inserted through a patient’s mouth and threaded through the gastrointestinal tracts. The hospital has notified 179 patients who may be at risk. 

Mark Miller, a spokesman for Shinjuku-Ku, Japan-based Olympus, didn’t immediately respond to voice mail and e-mail messages seeking comment on the complaint. 

The complaint names the company and three members of its endoscopy team for the greater Los Angeles area as defendants. 

The case is Young v. Olympus Corp. of the Americas, BC573399, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County.
Source: Bloomberg