Along with the PAHAN bulletin, as distributed earlier, PADOH has placed this specific message on the message board:

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other state health departments, is currently investigating an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bloodstream infections. While the investigation is still in its early stages, contaminated prefilled saline flush syringes manufactured by Nurse Assist, Haltom City, Texas have been implicated as the source. The PADOH Bureau of Laboratories performed testing of Nurse Assist 10-milliliter saline flush syringes that were obtained from a Pennsylvania long-term care facility with reported cases; all unopened syringes tested were found to have been contaminated with B. cepacia.

PADOH recommends that any health care facilities, providers, or anyone else who have received Nurse Assist prepackaged three-, five- and 10-milliliter syringes of saline flush immediately discontinue using and sequester these saline products until further notice. At this time, DO NOT discard/destroy the products. DO NOT send flushes back to suppliers. All products should be placed together in a locked office. Guidance on the sequestered saline flush syringes will be forthcoming.