2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
AN INDEPENDENT PROBABILITY ANALYIS OF VAPOTHERM RALSTONIA COLONIZATION
Wesley M. Granger, PhD, RRT, Jonathan B. Waugh PhD, RRT
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,
Alabama
Introduction: An independent probability analysis was conducted using data submitted to
Vapotherm, Inc., the CDC and the FDA as part of an investigation regarding a
recent FDA Preliminary Public Health Notification concerning reported Ralstonia cultured from a respiratory
gas administration device at several hospitals. The purpose of this analysis
was to determine the probabilities associated with reports that Vapotherm
cartridges were being contaminated during manufacturing.
Methods: We were allowed independent access on a consultant basis (for
the Company) to the data reported on Ralstonia
cultures to the company via MDR, the CDC, and the FDA. We performed a
probability analysis of reported positive Ralstonia
cultures from clean, unopened cartridges and an analysis of CDC reported
positive cultures of cartridges.
Results: Hospital "A" reported positive cultures from 3 new cartridges out of a box of
10. This hospital did not culture the other 7 cartridges but these were
cultured by three independent labs, including the CDC and FDA, with all 7 being
negative. The question is: What is the probability the hospital selected the
only 3 contaminated cartridges from a box of 10 assuming that 3 of the 10 were
actually contaminated? The result of this calculation was a 0.83% probability
that they would select the 3 contaminated cartridges at random. Hospital "B"
reported that they cultured 2 positive cartridges out of a box of 10. However,
further testing by the CDC did not find contamination in an additional 67
cartridges from the same lot. If we use the contamination rate of 2/(2+67) = 0.0290
then what is the probability of the hospital getting exactly 2 contaminated
samples when we sample 10 cartridges from a single lot? Binomial Probability
analysis showed a probability of less than 3% (Pr = 0.0299) that they would
choose exactly 2 contaminated samples out of 10 randomly selected samples when
the contamination rate is 2.90%. A separate analysis of data from a CDC
Spreadsheet of Cartridge cultures revealed 13 out of 54 (25%) cartridges tested
positive at the CDC but these came from only 4 hospitals in 2 states and they
were all opened by the hospital. Also, 10 of these 13 (77%) appear to be used
cartridges and it is impossible to determine how these became contaminated.
Conclusions: (1). There is a less than
3% probability that the cartridges were contaminated during manufacture. (2). All
of the cultures verified by the CDC as positive were from cartridges opened at
the two hospitals and then sent to the CDC.
None of the cartridges opened at the CDC or FDA tested positive (Total
of 74 cartridges). (3). Analysis involving cultures of new, unopened Vapotherm
cartridges, showed there is a high probability that these were contaminated
with Ralstonia at the Hospital.