March 7, 2002 – Tokyo-based Olympus Optical Co., reported that poor cleansing techniques of its equipment was likely to blame for the spreading of bacteria at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

However, the company’s findings contradict the conclusion made by the doctors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. The doctors believe that two of their patients might have died and an additional 100 might have been exposed to pseudomonas bacteria because of defects in Olympus bronchoscopes, according to an article published in The Baltimore Sun.

The defect is said to be a lose valve that can house bacteria, even when cleansed properly. Investigators for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reportedly ran a bronchoscope with a loose valve through an extra-rigorous cleaning method – an ethylene oxide gas sterilization – and found that it still harbored bacteria afterward, according to The Sun.

In December, the optical company voluntarily recalled thousands of its bronchoscopes “because proving they didn’t cause the infections would be difficult,” notes the article.

At a recent news conference, Olympus officials said that the company knew for approximately six months that a screw-on part of the bronchoscope could come loose and bacteria could get trapped inside the opening.