CRE Superbug Disclosure at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia Raises Questions

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s release of information concerning the superbug infection last year in Philadelphia left us speculating about whether their conclusion, “no definitive link” between duodenoscopes and the outbreak, was warranted. The Friday the 13th release about last year’s events was short on details and seemed more like the hospital intended to bury the story in the Friday evening news.  We were hoping we would get more details later but so far, we’ve heard nothing new. Jefferson Hospital admitted to CRE infections in at least eight patients following the use of duodenoscopes from January 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014. After examining the information released, Dan Purtell, one of our trial attorneys, noted a few specific questions that he thought the hospital should have also answered: Patient Safety Jefferson did not release the number of patients who may have been infected by the devices or the number of ERCP procedures conducted between January 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014. Patient Disclosures Jefferson did not state if and how many patients were contacted by officials to disclose the potential exposure and whether these individuals were subsequently tested. Testing Jefferson did not identify the specific types of CRE superbug infections at issue, the testing protocol that was used, when the tests occurred or if the internal elements of the devices were specifically tested. These are just a few of the questions that Dan identified, but they make sense.