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The Olympus scopes lawsuits involve claims of contaminated or defectively designed Olympus endoscopes. Scope patients developed serious infections, including HIV, Tuberculosis, and superbugs, after common medical scoping procedures. Those procedures include: colonoscopies, bronchoscopies, enteroscopies and gastroscopies.
Our law firm is currently investigating Olympus scope infection lawsuits nationwide, including claims involving infection requiring inpatient hospitalization and IV antibiotic treatment, sepsis, organ failure, and death shortly following endoscopic procedures.
If you were hospitalized or diagnosed with HIV, Tuberculosis, or an antibiotic-resistant superbug after an Olympus scope procedure, you may be entitled to compensation.Contact us today to speak with our Olympus Scopes team at no cost.
Olympus scopes lawsuits focus on injuries linked to reusable medical scopes used during common diagnostic and surgical procedures. These medical devices are inserted into the body and reused on multiple patients, making proper cleaning and disinfection critical. As a result, the FDA requires manufacturers of endoscopes to develop and supply validated reprocessing instructions with each device.
Patients across the country have reported infections after Olympus scope procedures, raising concerns about whether manufacturer instructions were adequate to enable proper cleaning of endoscopes. Medical research shows that dangerous bacteria can remain on scopes even after reprocessing in accordance with manufacturer instructions. Additionally, the design of the product may itself be defective, making it incapable of proper disinfection.
You may qualify for an Olympus endoscope lawsuit if you’ve had a scope procedure since 2015 AND experienced one of the following:
• Hospitalization with an infection requiring IV antibiotics (including HIV, Tuberculosis, sepsis, or organ failure) within one year of the procedure; OR
• Superbug infection within 180 days of the procedure; OR
• Organ perforation during the procedure not attributable to medical malpractice.
You may also qualify if you received a notice within the past year that you may have been exposed to dangerous pathogens during an Olympus scope procedure and have since been diagnosed with a superbug.
Statutes of limitation vary by state, and some claims may still be evaluated even if the infection occurred years ago.
If you developed an infection after an Olympus scope procedure requiring hospitalization, do not wait.Schedule a free Olympus scope infection lawsuit evaluation today.
On June 24, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an import alert covering 58 models of Olympus endoscope devices manufactured in Japan, citing concerns related to manufacturing and compliance.
The import alert applies to several types of Olympus endoscope devices and accessories including:
FDA import alerts are used to stop products that may violate U.S. safety standards from entering the country.
Patients injured by contaminated endoscopes have reported a wide range of serious complications. Many cases involve life-threatening infections leading to hospitalization and long courses of IV antibiotics.
Reported injuries linked to Olympus endoscope procedures include:
There are also reports of sexually transmitted infections linked to contaminated scopes, according to adverse event reporting.
According to Mayo Clinic, a superbug infection is an infection caused by bacteria or other germs that have become resistant to the antibiotics normally used to treat them. These drug-resistant organisms are often called superbugs because they are much harder to kill with standard medications.
Most superbugs are bacteria that no longer respond to multiple antibiotics. When this happens, doctors may have fewer treatment options, and infections can become harder to control, especially after invasive medical procedures like endoscopy or colonoscopy.
Superbug infections are significantly more dangerous than ordinary infections, according to reports from National Institutes of Health (NIH). Because common antibiotics may not work, these infections can spread more quickly, last longer, and require stronger or more toxic drugs to treat.
According to public health experts, antibiotic-resistant infections affect millions of people each year in the United States and contribute to tens of thousands of deaths annually, making them a major healthcare threat.
Cleveland Clinic reports that, in severe cases, superbug infections can lead to:
These risks are especially concerning when superbug infections occur after medical procedures involving reusable devices, such as Olympus scopes.
Symptoms of a superbug infection after endoscopy or colonoscopy may look similar to other infections, but they often do not improve with standard antibiotics.
Common warning signs include:
Because superbug infections resist common treatments, symptoms may continue or worsen even after antibiotics are prescribed. Anyone who develops these symptoms after an Olympus scope procedure should seek medical care immediately.
A July 2025 study published in theAmerican Journal of Infection Control found that endoscope reprocessing failures are common and often involve serious errors across multiple cleaning steps.
The study found:
Researchers also highlighted prior studies conducted by Olympus that determined manufacturer instructions for use were not adequate to ensure user comprehension and adherence to vital endoscope reprocessing steps, including cleaning, disinfection, rinsing, storage and disposal. The authors concluded that the design of reusable endoscope devices and manufacturer instructions for use need significant improvements, raising concerns about patient safety.
In another study published in 2022 in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology researchers detected several high concern bacterial organisms in a sample of reprocessed Olympus scopes, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia spp, Enterococcus spp, Klebsiella spp and Pseudomonas spp. The authors advised that attempts should be made to reduce contamination rates and recommended that improvements be made to manufacturer instructions for use, reprocessing training programs and the design of reusable scope devices.
Endoscopic procedures are extremely common in the United States, increasing the potential impact of unsafe devices.
Annual U.S. procedure estimates include:
Patients trust that medical devices used inside their bodies are safe. When contaminated scopes or inadequate cleaning instructions put patients at risk, the consequences can be life-altering.
Olympus medical device lawsuits seek to:
Every case is different. Verdicts and settlements depend on a variety of factors, including the type and severity of your injury.
However, generally, this type of lawsuit seeks compensation for the following types of damages:
Levin Papantonio has been fighting for injured people since 1955 and has recovered more than $80 billion for clients nationwide.Our firm is nationally recognized for leadership in:
We prepare every case as if it will go to trial and are not afraid to take on large medical device manufacturers.
If you were hospitalized, diagnosed with sepsis, or developed a superbug infection after an Olympus endoscopy, you may have legal options.Contact Levin Papantonio today for a free, confidential Olympus scopes lawsuit evaluation.
Call us at (877) 739-6916 or fill out our secure online form to schedule a consultation with our team. There is no obligation, and everything you share will be kept private. We can answer your questions, inform you of your rights, and outline how we can fight for you and your child.
Olympus scopes lawsuits involve claims that reusable medical scopes were contaminated or not properly processed, exposing patients to serious infections after procedures such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, or urology scope procedures.
Yes. Infections can occur after scope procedures, especially when bacteria remain on a reusable scope or when cleaning and reprocessing fail. Patients who develop symptoms after a procedure should seek medical care right away.
A superbug infection is caused by germs—most often bacteria—that have become resistant to one or more antibiotics. These infections are harder to treat because common medications may not work.
Superbug infections can be very dangerous because they may not respond to standard antibiotics. They can worsen quickly and may lead to serious complications such as bloodstream infections or sepsis if not treated promptly.
Warning signs may include fever, chills, worsening pain, redness or swelling, unusual drainage, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, or confusion. Symptoms that persist or worsen—even after antibiotics—should be evaluated urgently.
You may qualify if you had an Olympus scope procedure since 2015 and later suffered a serious complication. This may include hospitalization for an infection requiring IV antibiotics within one year of the procedure, a superbug infection diagnosed within 180 days, or an organ perforation not caused by medical malpractice. You may also qualify if you received a notice of possible exposure during an Olympus scope procedure and were later diagnosed with a superbug.
Yes. Filing deadlines, known as statutes of limitation, vary by state and may depend on when you learned about the infection or received an exposure notice. Speaking with a lawyer as soon as possible can help protect your rights.
Levin Papantonio lawyers are investigating Olympus scope infection cases, and the firm offers free consultations. The law firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not pay attorney’s fees unless compensation is recovered.
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