Dirty Surgical Tools A Dangerous, Growing Problem

FierceHealthcare has;

Dirty Surgical Tools A Dangerous, Growing Problem

February 23, 2012 — 12:42pm ET | By Karen M. Cheung

Blood, tissue and other debris from previous procedures sometimes remain on the surgical tools used on other patients. Even worse, the problem is growing, according to NBC News. Investigations at hospitals across the country have revealed the use of dirty surgical instruments, such as arthroscopic shavers, have led to infection outbreaks.

For instance, seven surgical patients at Houston's Methodist Hospital contracted potentially lethal infections, according to NBC News. The hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an investigation and closed operating rooms for two weeks. After consulting with the Stryker, the device manufacturer of the arthroscopic shavers used at Methodist, the hospital said they properly followed cleaning instructions, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

"We regret that our patients had this experience," Methodist vice president of quality Maureen Disbot said, "but we have done everything, and we have now fixed the problem."

Methodist technicians now inspect the inside of every shaver with a tiny video camera to make sure it is clean before use.

Hospital-acquired infections are notoriously difficult to track to their sources, but there are a few reasons why dirty surgical tools could be making their rounds. Although it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who is to blame for dirty instruments and infections--bacteria can hide anywhere from a doctor's unwashed hands to a nurse's dirty scrubs--some experts say that it has to do with the rise in minimally invasive surgeries. Whereas traditional surgical tools are made from steel, more tools today are made from tungsten, plastic and other polymers.

Another reason is that central sterile techs who process the dirty tools are overworked and underpaid, not to mention, pressured to clean the tools quickly so tools can return to other revenue-generating surgeries, the Center for Public Integrity article noted.

The FDA has asked arthroscopic shaver manufacturers to study how the instruments are being cleaned, but the agency didn't commented on the findings, according to Fox News.

In 2010, there were 2.1 million arthroscopic knee procedures, and only 1 percent led to adverse events, FDA spokeswoman Karen Riley said. "This does not merit withdrawal of a valuable device," she said.

As for hospitals, the FDA told NBC News, "Hospitals are reminded to carefully clean and sterilize reusable medical devices. A patient's risk of acquiring an infection from a reprocessed medical device is very low."

For more information:
- read the iWatch News report
- read the Fox News article
- see the NBC News article

Related Articles:
UC Irvine investigated for unsafe drug pumps, untrained staff
Hospital removes chief exec after dirty tools risked 2,500 veterans
Dirty ORs threaten UCLA Medicare funds
Outlawing ties and watches for the sake of patient safety
VA hospital cancels surgeries after discovery of dirty tools

Thank You FierceHealthcare and Ms Cheung

But then What can you expect, when Hospital Staff need Hall Monitors to herd them back into the washroom to wash their hands after Using the rest rooms, and between patients?

http://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/SFGHdocs/2007-2008AnnlRptSFGH.pdf

SF General Hospital is a Major Trauma Center: 2nd & 3rd degree burns etc. All of the Physicians there are UCSF (State University) Faculty. (Pg 34) They are not students. They are not graduates. They are Faculty. The Best & the Brightest in medicine today.

58% of them needed a Hall Monitor (pg 6) to herd them back to the wash basin after they used the bathroom, or moved between patients. Even With the hand hygiene Hall Monitors, they Still couldn’t housebreak 18% of the slobs.

Not Students. Not Graduates. State University Faculty. The best there is. Just ask the taxpayers.

Here's an idea. How about we hire a whole lot More Psychiatrists and Psychologists to condemn these septic 'Caregivers' as Incurably Mentally Ill, show them the door, and State/Federal paperwork them as a Danger to Others? Their 'Behaviors' are actually Killing people, aren't they?

And CMS under Dr Seuss can authorize Itself (Why not? Congress has done some incredibly stupid things in the past, but it's difficult to imagine even Congress openly authorizing Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement for Buddhist mindfulness meditative techniques and Hegelian Dialectical bait and switch Political BS which includes propping up Che Guevara as an exemplar of Wisdom and Compassion, as Healthcare) to BUY those new Psychs, excuse us, Self Identified Illuminati, (with your Parents and Grandparents Medicare/Medicaid co-pays) every movie every made so they can sit at home (or at the Esalen Institute) Watching them as Psy-entific Justification for all of the Paperwork they're generating.

Illuminati Psychiatric Bio-Science

You see folks, we simply haven't spent Enough of everyone else's money yet to straighten out/Finish Off America. If we can just Keep tossing Hundreds of Billions down the Psychiatric rat hole Eventually, Everyone, will become Grateful/Lobotomized enough to elect a Nancy Pelosi for their very own Congressional District.

'Mental Health' Pole Vaulter Nancy Pelosi

And then everyone who we can Afford to Keep under ObamaCare, will 'Feel Better'.

See also: Psychiatry's Raid On America's SSI & SSDI