Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report Links More Patients' Illnesses, Deaths To Medical Scopes' Contamination
Los Angeles Times: Two More Deaths May Be Linked To Contaminated Medical Scopes
Two patients died and six more were sickened in a new outbreak suspected of being caused by contaminated medical scopes, according to a regulatory report by device manufacturer Olympus Corp. The report shows that hospitals are continuing to use a device that was recalled in January, which experts have found to be extremely difficult to disinfect. The name and location of the hospital was not revealed in the report. (Petersen, 3/25)
The Associated Press: Lawsuit Claims Medical Device Caused Brain Damage After Bellevue Surgery
A software designer is suing a California company, claiming its medical device used to treat aneurysms malfunctioned and caused him to suffer brain damage. The Penumbra Coil 400 was used to treat an aneurysm Dennis Montgomery suffered in 2013, according to his lawyer, Peter Mullenix. He said during the surgery at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, the doctor placed 90 percent of the coil into the aneurysm, but the last 10 percent got stuck in the intracranial artery. (Bellisle, 3/26)
