Products Recalled After Alabama Hospital Outbreak

Yesterday, we wrote about nine Alabama hospital deaths attributed to <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/defective_medical_devices">tainted IV bags in six Alabama hospitals, according to health officials. A total of 19 patients have suffered from the Alabama hospital infections with serratia marcescens bacteremia following IV feeding with deadly IV bags.

Today, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) announced its ongoing investigation of the Serratia marcescens bacteremia outbreak in six Alabama hospitals: Baptist Princeton, Baptist Shelby, Baptist Prattville, Medical West, Cooper Green Mercy, and Select Specialty Hospital in Birmingham, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.

On March 16, ADPH was notified that an outbreak occurred in two of these hospitals among patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN), which is liquid nutrition fed through an IV using a catheter. Use of contaminated products may lead to bacterial infection of the blood.

ADPH requested assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC’s initial investigation identified TPN produced by a single pharmacy—Meds IV—as a potential common source and has determined that these hospitals received TPN from this pharmacy.

Meds IV was notified and has informed its customers of the potential contamination. ADPH was informed that affected hospitals immediately stopped using TPN received from this pharmacy and that the pharmacy discontinued all production. On March 24, Meds IV recalled all of its IV compounded products; the FDA is aware of the recall. The pharmacy and hospitals are cooperating with the investigation.

At of today, ADPH is aware of 19 cases of infection with Serratia marcescens bacteremia related to this outbreak in the six hospitals.

The list of IV products involved, follows:

• Bronch Procedure Kit
• Bupivacaine Epidural Bag
• Cardioplegia Solutions
• Cefazolin 2 gm Syringe
• Dialysate Solution
• Fentanyl /Ropivacaine Epidural Bag
• Fentanyl/ Bupivacaine Epidural Bag
• Folic Acid 1mg/0.2ml Syringe
• Glycopyrrolate 0.2mg/ml 1ml in 3ml Syringe
• Heparin IV Bags
• Hydromorphone Intravia Bag
• Hydromorphone PCA Syringe
• Ketamine Syringe
• Labetalol syringe
• Lorazepam 2mg/ml syr
• Meperidine 10mg/100ml NS(Intravia Bag)
• Morphine 1mg/ml PCA 100ml Intravia Bag
• Neostigmine 3mg Syringe
• Nitroglycerin IV Bag
• Nitroglycerin Syringe
• Norepinehrine IV Bag
• Oxytocin Bags
• Sodium Chl 23.4% (4meq/ml) 10ml Syr
• Succinylcholine 20mg/ml 5ml Syringe
• TPN Solution
• Vancomycin IV Bag