Lawmakers seek ways to reduce health threat of tainted medical devices

In response to recent infections and deaths from tainted medical scopes, U.S. lawmakers are wrestling with how to keep other potentially dangerous devices from harming patients. Members of Congress, federal officials and health-policy experts agree that the Food and Drug Administration's surveillance system for devices is inadequate and relies too heavily on manufacturers to report problems with their own products. But fixing the federal warning system to enable more timely identification of risky scopes, implants and surgical tools means overcoming significant challenges in Congress, from partisan divisions to the need for more government funding. Even then, it could take years for a new system to be up and running.