After looking into the origin of a 1993 statistic that puts the risk of developing a serious infection from an endoscope at 1 in 1.8 million, researchers said the number was outdated, inaccurate and based on flawed methodology, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
The statistic, which is attributed to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, is flawed in part because few infection cases are publicly reported and in many instances patients may not become sick for days or months following the procedure, CDC physicians say. The original number was also likely greatly underestimated as it only counted infection cases reported in medical journals.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Recent outbreaks of infections linked to notoriously difficult-to-disinfect endoscopes, including the deaths of three patients at UCLA, have led the endoscopy society to update cleaning guidelines and the misreported likelihood of infection.
Additionally, a recent study found that even when the established cleaning and disinfecting guidelines for endoscopes are precisely followed, most of the devices will still carry pathogens that could cause infections in patients.