Olympus Announces Recall of 14,000 Bronchoscopes
March 6, 2002
Japan's Olympus Optical Co. has announced another recall of more than 14,000 bronchoscopes. The decision comes less than two days after Johns Hopkins Hospital informed 415 patients that bronchoscopes made by Olympus' subsidiary, New York-based Olympus America, may have given them a rare, but fatal, lung infection. Hopkins officials realized the potential problem after over 100 patients who had undergone a bronchoscopy at the hospital tested positive for the pseudomonas bacteria. Two patients died from complications associated with the bacillary infection.
A spokesperson for Olympus said the company would fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Olympus believes improper cleaning of the device may have helped spread the bacteria. But Hopkins officials say a port came loose on three bronchoscopes and trapped the pseudomonas bacteria. The company issued a "prompt recall" of the devices in November after it discovered the valve problem. However, Olympus says only forty percent of the instruments were returned.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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