Instrument sterilisation linked to infection outbreak:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Poor sterilisation of surgical instruments by the Clinique du Sport in Paris has been linked to an outbreak of spinal infections caused by Mycobacterium xenopi. Thirty patients have the infection. All were operated on between 1988 and 1993 for prolapsed discs using percutaneous or arthroscopic techniques. More than 1,000 former patients have been asked to take tests for the infection.