article_snippet: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has contacted 179 others who had endoscopic procedures between October and January and is offering them home tests to screen for the deadly bacteria.
article_snippet: The medical scope was used in all four patients, between August and January 2015.
article_snippet: Sixty-four other patients who had a duodenoscope procedure with that particular scope are being informed by mail, "out of an abundance of caution."
article_snippet: The TJF-Q180V duodenoscope, used to check out ducts in the gastrointestinal system, includes a modification to the exact part of the device that's been implicated in the superbug outbreaks.
article_snippet: Riley emphasized that duodenoscope procedures can be lifesaving, so the agency doesn't want to take duodenoscope procedures off the market.
article_snippet: More than 500,000 of duodenoscope procedures are done every year in the U.S., and the risk of bacterial transmission is actually really very, very low," Riley said.
article_snippet: Now the FDA is asking all three companies to submit evidence that the scopes can be thoroughly cleaned -- and so far the scopes's not going well.
article_snippet: Riley said twice all three companies have submitted data that failed to show that cleaning could get rid of 99.9999% of all microbes on the scope -- the FDA's standard for disinfection.