A slew of hospital thefts nationwide -- including close to $75,000 of equipment from Mount Nittany Medical Center in 2005 -- has opened investigators' eyes to a black market specializing in the swap of used medical instruments.

State College Police Det. Ralph Ralston said both a Pennsylvania and national trend has spurred a local investigation into the security of the medical center and the value of reselling surgical devices.

In July, Mount Nittany Medical Center reported two stolen endoscopes -- instruments used to view the stomach, colon and bladder -- valued at $46,700.

On Jan. 5, the medical center again reported missing equipment.

Five laparoscopes, used for viewing pelvic and abdominal areas, a $25,000 value, were stolen sometime in December.

Ralston, the lead investigator in the case, said there were recent thefts at both Armstrong County Memorial Hospital and DuBois Regional Medical Center, located near Pittsburgh.

"We have heard of other hospital thefts of high-tech equipment from other parts of the country," said Maureen Karstetter, vice president of communications at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Ralston said he is unsure who stole the items, but that the staff at the medical center does not think it was an employee.

He said the culprit might have been a former salesperson or technician -- because they would be people who were familiar enough with the hospital to know where the items were stored.

Both Karstetter and Jay Knarr, communications representative at Altoona Hospital, said that the strangest element to the thefts is the demand for the used medical equipment.

"You'd really have to know how to use a laparoscope if you took one," Knarr said. "It's puzzling to me."

Karstetter echoed the same confusion, saying that U.S. hospitals purchase items new from the manufacturer.

She said she believes the market for the stolen medical goods is outside of the country.

Ralston said the items are hard to track, but some turn up on Ebay or are shipped overseas.

He said there are also used medical equipment companies that buy the equipment.

With the investigation at Mount Nittany Medical Center ongoing, Ralston said the hospital has upped their security measures, restricting access to storage areas and heavily monitoring the expensive equipment.

According to University Police, there have been no reported thefts at University Health Services.

Penn State Police Assistant Director Tyrone Parham said someone unsuccessfully tried to break into the pharmacy at UHS on Oct. 3 and nothing was stolen.

Knarr said Altoona Hospital had no thefts in recent years.

FBI Philadelphia Bureau agent Jerria Williams said she was unaware of a regional or state problem. She said the FBI typically allows local investigations to pan out, and would step in only if local law enforcement suspected a large robbery ring.