Weekly Rounds: Contaminated Endoscopes and In-Use Buckets Threaten Patient Safety and More
Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending April 8.
Here are 5 highlights from ICT®’s wide-ranging coverage of the infection prevention and control world. Everything from interviews with known opinion leaders, to the news that infection preventionists and other health care professionals can use on their jobs.
1. Despite Safety Alerts, Contaminated Flexible Endoscopes Continue to Put Patients at Risk.
From 2014 to 2021, continued FDA reports of multidrug-resistant bacteria contaminating 6 types of endoscopes have had fatal consequences.
2. The FDA Issues Urgent Warning About Karl Storz Endoscopes Reprocessing Methods
The letter comes after a year of reprocessing validation testing and a voluntary medical device recall.
3. In-Use Disinfectant Bucket Identified as Source of Contamination in Hospital
The contamination was found during another study that involved culturing surfaces before and after routine daily cleaning/disinfection.
4. Viewpoint: New UK Data Show BA.2 Variant Produces More Frequent Hospitalizations Than Omicron
Evidence shows the BA.2 variant is more infectious and virulent than the Omicron variant.
5. Higher Flu Vaccination Rates for Home Health Care Workers Improves Patient Outcomes
A recent study's results also could indicate how other vaccinations, including COVID-19 and pneumonia, affect patients.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
