Two patient deaths at a UCLA hospital have been linked to two medical scopes that still carried deadly bacteria, despite being properly disinfected, according to a recent CNN News report. Seven hospital patients have been infected with the superbug, known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (“CRE”), at the hospital including the most recent deaths. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE can kill up to half of the patients who contract this deadly bacterium.
If you or someone you know has been injured due to the negligence of another, contact an aggressive Brooklyn personal injury lawyer right away.
Standard Procedure Not Enough
Endoscopes are commonly used for a variety of medical procedures, including those conducted on the gallbladder, pancreatic ducts and the bile ducts. An internal review at the hospital found the disinfection guidelines, which were set by the scope manufacturers and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), were insufficient to remove the deadly superbug from the medical devices. The hospital has reached out to almost 200 other patients who underwent endoscopic procedures between October 2014 and January 2015, offering them home tests to confirm whether or not they have also been infected with CRE.
The FDA issued an advisory, recommending additional cleaning procedures for these medical instruments, including cleaning a part of the instrument by hand. Some hospitals have added gas sterilization to their cleaning procedures for the scopes, while others began testing the instruments prior to utilizing them in a procedure and only using those that come back negative for the bacteria.
Personal Injury
Medical malpractice falls under personal injury law, and is defined as a health care provider’s failure to meet the appropriate standard of care that a reasonably competent and skilled medical professional would have provided under the same situation. New York State ranks first in the nation for medical malpractice payouts according to a recent study; nationally, medical malpractice is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association the causes of these injuries may include unnecessary surgery, erroneous hospital administration of medication, other hospital-related mistakes, infections, or adverse effects of medications administered properly. While less than 100,000 medical malpractice lawsuits are filed annually, the actual number of medical-related injuries is estimated at one million.
Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer
A Brooklyn personal injury lawyer with knowledge in medical malpractice as it pertains to the State of New York can help you recover from damages if you have fallen victim. If you or someone you know has been the victim of personal injury due to the negligence of another, contact a knowledgeable and experienced attorney. The lawyers at the Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum provide legal services throughout New York, including Brooklyn and the Bronx and handle many different types of accident and personal injury cases. Call (718) 237-5586 today to schedule your initial free case evaluation today.
