Greedy Trial Lawyer (informative, if a bit tongue-in-cheek) quotes a very scary WaPo article:

"A growing number of U.S. hospitals, including at least eight in the Washington area, are saving money by reusing medical devices designated for one-time use, ignoring the warnings of manufacturers, which will not vouch for the safety of their reconditioned products."

Depending upon how profitable this practice is for a hospital, this might be a great example of Buying The Tort.

Instead of passing more laws that put profits ahead of patients, how about some Federal legislation to prohibit this practice?