Olympus told US executives not to issue warning on infections from tainted scopes

Editor's Note

Despite “superbug” outbreaks and alerts issued in Europe, Japanese device manufacturer Olympus Corp told US executives in early 2013 not to issue a broad warning to American hospitals about potentially deadly infections from tainted duodenoscopes, the July 24 Los Angeles Times reports.

At the time, Olympus was aware that design flaws could make its duodenoscope difficult to clean and that blood and tissue could become trapped, spreading bacteria from one patient to another.

Olympus’ actions and inaction are being examined in lawsuits by American patients and their families who contend that the manufacturer was negligent.

The company’s internal emails show conflicts over how to respond to a growing threat to patient safety, pitting US executives against their superiors in Japan. Those emails could become crucial evidence in future lawsuits, according to the report.

Faced with superbug outbreaks in three countries by early 2013, Japanese device giant Olympus Corp. told U.S. executives not to issue a broad warning to American hospitals about potentially deadly infections from tainted medical scopes, internal emails show.