At UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center, two people have died among seven patients who were infected with the antibiotic-resistant superbug known as CRE (Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae).
The LA Times reported Wednesday that the number of infected patients may grow because nearly 180 patients who were treated from October to January could have potentially been exposed to the “nightmare bacteria” and are now being given home tests. If the bacteria spreads to a person’s blood stream, it can kill up to 50 percent of patients.
The transmission of this bacteria happened through the use of a specialized endoscope (duodenoscope), which are inserted down the throat to treat things like certain kinds of cancer, gallstones or other digestive system ailments. As The Times reports, medical experts say the design of the scopes make them difficult to disinfect, leading to potential bacteria transmission.
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The bacteria is spread when someone (or something) touches infected stool or an open wound and then touches another open wound, CNN reports.
Someone may forget to wash their hands after coming in contact with stool or a wound. Or a procedure could be performed with a contaminated instrument, like an endoscope or a surgical device. But CRE can also spread from other soiled invasive medical inserts like respirator tubes or catheters. Healthy people rarely get them. Those infected are usually patients who were being treated for some other ailment.
From @CDCgov, risk of CRE infections #KindredCIS: pic.twitter.com/HQfhMgtSf0
— Kindred Healthcare (@kindredhealth) November 13, 2013
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The CDC has previously warned the public and health officials about the spread of drug-resistant CRE in previous years, as it has become more common over the past decade.
The specialized procedure in question is known as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). Routine endoscopies and colonoscopies do not use the same instrument.
Dale Tate, a university spokeswoman, told The Times that “the two scopes involved with the infection were immediately removed and UCLA is now utilizing a decontamination process that goes above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards.”
In order for ERCP procedures to be safer, there could need to be changes in disinfecting protocols or redesigning the scopes.
“ERCP is a common and critical procedure in most hospitals today,” said Dr. Bret Petersen, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic’s division of gastroenterology and hepatology in Rochester, Minn. “It’s not a procedure we can allow to be constrained, so this is a serious issue we need to address.”
