As many as 11 patients treated at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., may have died from a superbug infection possibly caused by inadequate sterilization of a medical scope, according to an article on the Pasadena Now website.
Health Department officials said that 16 patients were infected by bacteria thought to be associated with the medical duodenoscopes used in their treatment over a time period from January, 2013 to August of 2015. Of the 16 infected, 11 died.
Only one of the deaths shows a death certificate that states the cause as bacterial infection.
The Health Department's report said the hospital did not disinfect the scopes in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines, and the hospital’s maintenance procedures were not consistent with Centers for Disease Control protocols.
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