The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are coordinating a multi-state investigation of fungal meningitis among patients who received an epidural steroid injection, according to a CDC release.
Several patients have also suffered strokes that are believed to have resulted from the infection. As of Oct. 4, 2012, five deaths have been reported. Fungal meningitis is not transmitted from person to person and, in this case, is instead associated with a potentially contaminated medication.
Investigation into the source is ongoing, but interim data show that all infected patients received injections with preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate prepared by New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass.
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Several patients have also suffered strokes that are believed to have resulted from the infection. As of Oct. 4, 2012, five deaths have been reported. Fungal meningitis is not transmitted from person to person and, in this case, is instead associated with a potentially contaminated medication.
Investigation into the source is ongoing, but interim data show that all infected patients received injections with preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate prepared by New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass.
Related Articles on Quality:
Patient Safety Tool: Medication Safety Checklist
American College of Surgeons Launches Patient Education Website
Compounding Pharmacy May Be to Blame for Tainted Spinal Injections
