CDC Recommends Clinicians Immediately Stop Using Liquid Docusate for Certain Patients

Recommendation comes amid multi-state outbreak investigation

Carson City, NV - June 28, 2016

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), multiple state and local health departments, and numerous healthcare facilities to investigate a multi-state outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia infections. These infections have occurred primarily in ventilated patients without cystic fibrosis and who are being treated in intensive care units.

Preliminary information indicates that a contaminated liquid docusate product might be related to cases in one state. Until more information is available, CDC recommends that facilities not use any liquid docusate products for patients who are critically ill, ventilated or immunosuppressed. Institutions with non-cystic fibrosis patients in whom there are B. cepacia infections should sequester all liquid docusate products.

Healthcare providers and laboratories should be on alert for B. cepacia cases occurring among non-cystic fibrosis patients and should inform infection prevention staff when these infections occur. Cases should be reported to state or local public health authorities.

For more information about this announcement, contact the CDC directly at haioutbreak@cdc.gov.

To read previous emails from this listserv, click here.

Contact

Nathan Orme
Education and Information Officer
(775) 684-1070