July 5, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

UCLA Medical Center officials to continue outreach to potential “superbug” patients

Seven patients have been infected with the bacteria, and two of them have died, hospital officials said. (Thinkstock)
Seven patients have been infected with the bacteria, and two of them have died, hospital officials said. (Thinkstock)

Officials at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will continue outreach efforts today to patients potentially affected by a”superbug” outbreak that has infected at least seven people, killing two.

The hospital is notifying 179 patients who underwent endoscopic procedures between Oct. 3, 2014, and Jan. 28 that they may have been exposed. Seven patients have been infected with the bacteria, and two of them have died, hospital officials said.

Hospital officials insisted Thursday they followed all required procedures in handling the outbreak. They are even reaching out to patients who likely were not treated with a pair of medical scopes later found to be infected with the potentially deadly carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, bacteria.

The infections were traced to two of seven Olympus-manufactured duodenoscopes used by the hospital for the procedures, which are conducted to diagnose and treat diseases of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas. The hospital is notifying all 179 of the patients, even though not all of them were treated with the two scopes that carried the bacteria.

“We’re being very cautions and we’re actually contacting all patients who underwent (endoscopic procedures) … even if another scope was used on them,” said Dr. Zachary Rubin, the hospital’s director of infection prevention.

Dr. Robert Cherry, the hospital’s chief medical and quality officer, said a wider range of notification — including to patients not treated with the suspect scopes — was decided upon out of “an abundance of caution.”

“We’ve sent letters out, we’ve placed phone calls to each of those patients. We are offering free testing for those patients as well as any type of potential treatment options and discussions about those options,” he said.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a warning to hospitals through its safety communications systems about duodenoscopes. It said the design of the scopes may make them more difficult to clean, and it urged that they be washed meticulously.

UCLA officials said they had been following all the required steps for sterilizing the scopes, which are inserted through the throat and considered minimally invasive, but the infections still managed to spread.

The hospital has now switched to a more thorough cleaning system, involving a disinfection process at the hospital, then at an off-site process that uses ethylene oxide gas to sterilize the equipment.

Potentially exposed patients at UCLA are being offered a home testing kit that will then be analyzed at the hospital.

Hospital officials said similar exposures to CRE have been reported at other American hospitals that use the same type of scopes.

As soon as the infection was identified at UCLA, hospital officials said they notified the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, the department’s deputy chief of acute communicable disease control, hailed the work done by UCLA to identify the infection and reach out to patients.

The hospital “followed the procedures appropriately throughout,” Schwartz said.

He also stressed that the outbreak “is not a threat to the health of the public in L.A. County.”

Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are assisting the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in its investigation of the UCLA infections.

CRE is a family of bacteria that is resistant to many common antibiotics. The bacteria can cause infections in patients who have other serious medical problems or who are “undergoing operations or other invasive procedures,” hospital officials said.

Since 2012, there have been about a half-dozen outbreaks affecting up to 150 patients in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington State, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Last month, Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle acknowledged that 32 patients were sickened by contaminated endoscopes from 2012 to 2014 with a bacterial strain similar to CRE. Eleven died. But, according to The Times, Virginia Mason said other factors may have contributed to their deaths because many of them were already critically ill.

Tags: , in News
Related Posts

Michael Madsen, Star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Dies at 67 in Malibu

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Actor Remembered for His Intense Performances and as a Poet  Actor Michael Madsen, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and...

Los Angeles City Council Cracks Down on ‘Disaster Tours’ in Pacific Palisades

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

City Council Bans Commercial Bus Tours in Burn Zone Amid Community Backlash Tour buses that have been operating in fire-ravaged...

Tow Truck Scammers Target Crash Victims Across L.A.: Authorities Warn of Fraud at Accident Scenes

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officials Urge Drivers to Stay Alert After Collisions as Rogue Operators Demand Inflated Fees  Motorists involved in vehicle accidents are...

Woman Dies After Melrose Store Altercation: LAPD Launches Homicide Investigation

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Critically Injured Young Woman Died July 2, After She was Badly Beaten at Work  The death of a woman critically...

CHP Officer Dies in Culver City Crash: Medical Emergency Suspected Behind Tragic Incident

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officer lost consciousness while transporting a suspect before crashing into a tree California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano died early...

L.A. Beaches Brace for Holiday Rush: Over 1 Million Visitors Expected This Fourth of July

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

County Officials Urge Beachgoers to Pack Out Their Trash and  Monitor Water Quality More than one million visitors are expected...

(Video) A visit to New York Bagel & Deli in Santa Monica

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Authentic NY Style Bagels with Extra Creamy Cream Cheese and Multi-Cultural Desserts. Located at 2216 Wilshire Blvd. A visit to...

Hot Dogs & Rosé: Something About Her and The Culver Hotel Roll Out Summer Specials

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Westside Venues to Serve Playful Bites and Seasonal Sips For the Holiday Weekend A bold new offering is making its...

NeueHouse Hosts Bold One-Night Dinner With Culinary Phenomenon Diego Argoti

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Acclaimed Chef Brings Culinary Mischief With a Five-Course Tasting Experience. NeueHouse Hollywood will host an exclusive, one-night-only dining event on...

(Video) Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Go To Homefrontbuild.com For More Information @home_front_build Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles Go...

405 Crash Near the Getty Sends Three to Hospital: Two Seriously Hurt Near Site Where LAPD Sgt. Died

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Early Morning Multi-Vehicle Collision Shut Down Lanes Near Brentwood Three men were injured and traffic was snarled for hours following...

Elephants Take Over Beverly Hills: Global Art Exhibit Makes Final Stop at Beverly Gardens Park

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Traveling Installation of Life-Size Sculptures Crafted by Indigenous Artisans Arrives in Beverly Hills Life-size sculptures of Indian elephants have arrived...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...