April 3, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

‘Superbug’ outbreak spreads to Cedars-Sinai, infects 4 patients

Cedars Sinai
(Thinkstock)

Four patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center were infected with a potentially deadly bacteria linked to a medical scope similar to those that were blamed for an outbreak at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center that killed two people, hospital officials said today.

Cedars-Sinai officials said they are contacting 71 other patients who underwent endoscopic procedures with the medical scope between August and February. Those patients are being offered free home-testing kits to determine if they may have been infected with the “superbug” known as CRE, or carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae.

One of the four patients who was infected with CRE at Cedars-Sinai has since died, but the death was due to an “underlying disease and not from CRE, as their CRE infection had cleared,” according to the hospital.

The duodenoscope that was used on the patients has been identified and is no longer being used, and enhanced sterilization techniques are being used on the hospital’s other scopes, officials said.

“No other duodenoscopes at Cedars-Sinai have been linked to CRE, and there is no evidence at this point that any additional patients had a CRE transmission linked to a duodenoscope at Cedars-Sinai,” according to the hospital.

Hospital officials said they have been using advanced sterilization methods since first hearing reports from other hospitals last month about the cleaning technique recommended by the manufacturer, Olympus, “may not be sufficient to protect patients.”

“Cedars-Sinai’s infection-control specialists are continuing to review and monitor to ensure the highest level of options to ensure the highest level of safety for its patients,” according to the hospital.

“They are also continuing to explore other techniques and options to ensure the protection of patients, and they are in ongoing communication with local, state and federal government agencies, including the Los Angeles County Acute Communicable Diseases Division, California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.”

Hospital officials said it had halted non-urgent duodenoscope procedures on Feb. 19 when concerns about the scopes began surfacing. But those procedures are resuming.

“The decision to resume was based on consultation with other academic medical centers around the nation, as well as with government agencies, about the additional monitoring techniques, including a waiting period for duodenoscopes after disinfection, to allow for an additional bacterial analysis of the duodenoscope before use,” according to the hospital.

UCLA officials announced last month that seven of its patients had been infected with the superbug, and two had died. The hospital also notified 179 other patients that they may have been exposed.

Related Posts

Scoop Dreams Come True: Van Leeuwen Launches New Beverly Hills Shop

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Van Leeuwen’s Beverly Hills Opening Comes With Sweet Perks Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, a New York City-born brand celebrated for...

WeHo’s WeHappy Wednesdays Serve Up Big Discounts In Addition to Zero Parking Fees

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Free Parking and $5 Cocktails? WeHo Makes Wednesdays Worth It The City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Chamber...

Saijo Hand Roll Rolls into Culver City with Premium Japanese Ingredients

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Binchotan-Fired Perfection: Saijo Rolls Out Premium Sushi in West LA A new destination for hand rolls and Japanese culinary craftsmanship...

(Video) Check Out Bernie’s, a New Pop Up at Citizen Public Market in Culver City

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Made with fresh frozen fruit and a toasted merengue topping these flavors are irresistible. The pop up will be at...

From Cocktails to Coffee: U.S. Tariffs Threaten Imports, Jobs, and Your Grocery Bill

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Major Price Hikes Expected for Coffee, Wine, Chocolate, and Butter  A sweeping new set of tariffs announced by former President...

Levain Bakery to Open Venice Location with Special Guests and Charitable Twist

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Bigger Than a Cookie: Levain’s Venice Opening Is a Flavorful Fundraiser Levain Bakery, the cult-favorite cookie destination founded in New...

LAX Airport Server Finds Hate-Filled Message From Unidentified Diners

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Waiter Says He Was Stunned by the Message Left by Customers Guillermo Ortiz, who works at Planet Hollywood inside the...

Sunset Strip Staple Le Petit Four Shuts Down After Landlord Pulls the Plug

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

End of an Era: Le Petit Four Forced to Close in West Hollywood In a stunning reversal to the upbeat...

Metro LA Pushes Back Sepulveda Transit Community Meetings

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Environmental Review Delay Prompts Metro to Reschedule  Metro announced that community meetings scheduled for early April to discuss the Sepulveda...

WeHo Unveils ‘WeHappy Wednesdays’ to Support Shops and Restaurants

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

New West Hollywood Plan Makes Midweek Outings Easier and Cheaper In a bid to boost foot traffic and economic recovery...

County Board Approves New Homeless Agency, Redirecting Millions from Existing System

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

With Billions on the Line, LA County Moves to Centralize Homeless Response Los Angeles County is making a dramatic shift...

Put the Phone Down: LAPD and CHP Targets Distracted Drivers in April Crackdown

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Hands-Free Law Violations Could Now Cost You More Than Just a Fine Throughout April, the Los Angeles Police Department will...

Kim Delaney, Partner Cleared After Weekend Arrest in Marina del Rey

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Emmy-Winning Actress and Partner James Morgan Released Kim Delaney, the Emmy-winning actress recognized for her roles in NYPD Blue and...

(Video) Spending an Afternoon at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Go To Pacpark.com For Tickets and More Information. Go To https://t.co/HneRcysYh5 For Tickets and More Information. #amusementpark #rides #rollercoaster #summer...

Matū Kai to Debut in Brentwood With Grass Fed Wagyu and Global Flair This Week

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Farm-To-Fork Beef, Wood-Fired Flavors, and Sustainability Meet on San Vicente The team behind Beverly Hills’ acclaimed steakhouse Matū will soon...