Preventing MRSA Infections in Surgical Centers

There have been a lot of stories in the news lately pertaining to patients who became infected with the deadly super-bug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more frequently referred to as MRSA, following endoscopic procedures. Much of the blame for this cross-contamination has been focused on difficult-to-clean duodenoscopes. 

Outpatient Surgery Magazine recently reported that the FDA and the CDC have stepped in to provide recommendations for preprocessing these scopes in such a way that will prevent the spread of this deadly bug. 

The FDA provided a comprehensive list of recommendations that include the following:

• Labeling should reflect the intended use of the device
• Reprocessing instructions for reusable devices should advise users to thoroughly clean the device
• Reprocessing instructions should indicate the appropriate microbicidal process for the device
• Reprocessing instructions should be technically feasible and include only devices and accessories that are legally marketed
• Reprocessing instructions should be comprehensive
• Reprocessing instructions should be understandable

For extensive information about each of these recommendations and for more information, please see the full FDA report here. 

In addition, the CDC has stepped in to provide guidance on properly cleaning duodenoscopes using their recommended bacterial culturing method. These guidelines are very comprehensive and can be found here. It is highly recommended that all surgical centers that perform endoscopies adhere to these guidelines in order to prevent future cross-contaminations.