Superbug linked to 2 deaths at UCLA hospital; 100 potentially exposed

LOS ANGELES – More than 100 patients at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to a potentially deadly bacteria from contaminated medical scopes after similar outbreaks at other hospitals across the country.

The Los Angeles Times has learned that seven patients at the University of California, Los Angeles center have been infected by the drug-resistant superbug known as CRE, and the bacteria may have contributed to two of those patients’ deaths. Those numbers may grow as more patients get tested.

University officials said the exposed patients were treated between October and January.

UCLA said it became aware of the outbreak last month and is notifying patients and offering them medical tests. By some estimates, if the infection spreads to a person’s bloodstream, it can kill 40 percent to 50 percent of patients.

At issue is a specialized endoscope inserted down the throats of about 500,000 patients annually to treat cancers, gallstones and other ailments of the digestive system.

These duodenoscopes are minimally invasive, and doctors credit them for saving lives through early detection and treatment.

Medical experts say the design of some scopes causes them to hold on to bacteria that can be difficult to disinfect through conventional cleaning.

These instruments are not the same type used in more routine endoscopies and colonoscopies.

UCLA said it immediately notified public health authorities after discovering the bacteria in one patient and tracing the problem to two endoscopes. The university said it had been cleaning the scopes “according to standards stipulated by the manufacturer.”

A university spokeswoman said “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.”