- Major Women’s Health Study Supports Hormone Replacement Therapy in Early Menopause
- Organic Walnuts Tied to Serious E. Coli Illnesses
- More Than Half of Cats on Farm Where Bird Flu Infected Cows Died After Drinking Milk
- Biden Administration Could Reclassify Marijuana as Less Risky Drug
- Americans of Pacific Island Ethnicity Have Up to Triple the Rate of Cancer Deaths
- How Anger Could Raise Your Heart Risks
- EPA Clamps Down on Deadly Toxin Found in Paint Strippers
- Popular Teens (Especially Girls) May Get Less Sleep
- Years Prior to Menopause Are Danger Zone for Depression
- School Entry Rules Boost Kids’ HPV Vaccination Rates
Health Highlights: Nov. 16, 2015
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Medical Scope Cleaning Devices Recalled
Nearly 2,800 machines used to disinfect medical scopes are being recalled because they may put patients at risk for infections, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says.
The agency ordered Custom Ultrasonics of Warminster, Pennsylvania to recall all its endoscope reprocessing devices, which are used at hospitals and medical clinics nationwide, the Associated Press reported.
The devices are meant to clean flexible endoscopes so they can be re-used safely, but Custom Ultrasonics has a history of violating federal rules for manufacturing and quality control, the FDA said.
The recall was ordered under terms of a 2007 legal agreement with the company that forbids it from making or distributing the endoscope reprocessing devices. Custom Ultrasonics has continued to service the devices, the AP reported.
However, the FDA says the company still cannot prove that its devices adequately wash and disinfect endoscopes.
“The FDA’s recall order stemmed from the company’s continued violations of federal law and the consent decree and is necessary to protect the public health,” said Dr. William Maisel, the FDA’s deputy director for medical devices, the AP reported.
Hospitals and medical clinics with the Custom Ultrasonics devices should use other endoscope cleaning machines to reduce the risk of patient infections, the FDA said.
A number of dangerous bacterial outbreaks associated with medical scopes have occurred at hospitals across the U.S., the AP reported.
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.