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State health officials are warning
of unsafe injections that occurred for nearly 12 years among surgical patients
of a dentist with offices in Highlands Ranch and Cherry Creek. In addition to
going public, the state is notifying several thousand patients who received
intravenous medication from Dr. Stephen Stein that they should be tested for
HIV and hepatitis B and C.
“Needles and syringes were used
repeatedly, often for days at a time,” explains a document on a state website.
No infections have been reported to date, officials said.
The focus is on screening patients
who received IV medications, including for sedation, between September 1999 and
June 2011, when Stein signed a cease-practice agreement with the state dental examiners
board. Another surgeon not accused of any wrongdoing has since taken charge of
the business.
State officials do not believe Stein
patients who received only local, oral anesthetic are at risk. However,
officials believe Stein patients may be at risk if they were given IV
medication:
*From September 1999 to June 2011 at
Stein Oral and Facial Surgery, 8671 S. Quebec St., No. 230, Highlands Ranch.
*From August 2010 to June 2011 at
Stein Oral and Facial Surgery, 3737 E. First Ave., Ste. B, Cherry Creek. Stein
also saw patients at this location when it was called the New Image Dental
Implant Center.
The state has coordinated with
county health departments to be ready for patients’ questions, said Dr. Chris
Urbina, state public health director. “This is a very unusual case, and that’s
why we’re taking this so seriously,” he said, noting the state is handling at
least 8,000 patient records.
Colorado’s help line is
877-462-2911.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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