The New England journal of medicine
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Risk factors for medical errors remain poorly understood. We performed a case-control study of retained foreign bodies in surgical patients in order to identify risk factors for this type of error. ⋯ The risk of retention of a foreign body after surgery significantly increases in emergencies, with unplanned changes in procedure, and with higher body-mass index. Case--control analysis of medical-malpractice claims may identify and quantify risk factors for specific types of errors.
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Endoscopes, including bronchoscopes, are the medical devices most frequently associated with outbreaks of nosocomial infections. We investigated an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections after bronchoscopic procedures. ⋯ This large outbreak of P. aeruginosa infections related to bronchoscopy was apparently caused by a loose biopsy-port cap in the bronchoscopes. Instrument safety and surveillance methods for bronchoscopy must be improved, and better recall procedures are needed for medical devices.