Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in hospitals: caused by Defective Bronchoscopes

Two reports in the 1-15-03 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine describe outbreaks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in hospitals. In both cases an increase in the frequency of pseudomonas infections was associated with bronchoscopy. In one study, isolates from the patients were genetically related to isolates from bronchoscopes that had loose caps on their biopsy ports.

Endoscopes are the devices most commonly associated with nosocomial outbreaks of infection. The outbreaks described in both studies involved bronchoscopes with defects that rendered disinfection procedures ineffective. This experience emphasizes the need for close surveillance for such infections and for better methods of recalling defective medical devices.