Patients Exposed to HIV, Hepatitis at South Florida Hospital, Officials Say

There is another case in the news today of thousands of hospital patients potentially being exposed to the blood diseases hepatitis and HIV thanks to the improper work of a nurse.

About 1,800 patients treated at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from January 2004 and September 2009 may have been exposed to the diseases by a nurse who reused saline bags and tubing on multiple patients during cardiac stress tests that required the injection fluids, officials said.

While hospital officials say the risk of exposure was low, all patients who underwent the tests at the hospital during the time should be tested for HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), and hepatitis B and C. The nurse, who has not been named in media reports of the outbreak, has since resigned and been reported to the state’s Board of Nursing.

“This is an individual’s unacceptable practice that once discovered was immediately corrected,” said James G. Thaw, chief executive of Broward General. “We at Broward General Medical Center understand that this is alarming and may be frightening but want to assure our patients we will assist in every way possible.”

Hospital officials said they have sent letters to 1,851 patients who underwent cardiac chemical stress tests administered by the nurse and urged them to get tested. Patients who had regular stress tests done on a treadmill without injection of fluids are not affected by the nurse’s actions, the hospital said.

Other Outbreaks Tied to Improper Hospital Procedures

Last month, a former Colorado surgical scrub technician pleaded guilty to exposing thousands of patients to hepatitis after stealing pain drugs meant for patients. The nurse, Kristen D. Parker, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after it was determined she used syringes filled with painkillers then filled the syringes with saline and returned them to surgical trays for use on patients.

At least 27 patients at Rose Medical Center in Denver and Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs, where Parker worked from October 21, 2008 until July 6, 2009, have tested positive for hepatitis C, a serious blood disorder that can permanently affect liver functioning.

Also earlier this year, more than 10,000 patients who received colonoscopies and other procedures at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Miami, Georgia, and Tennessee were warned that they may have contracted hepatitis or HIV due to improper cleaning and reuse of surgical tubing and other equipment.

Several cases of hepatitis and HIV have been linked to that scandal.

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