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Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
in Philadelphia has sent letters warning 51 patients who underwent
gastrointestinal procedures at the hospital. The letters warned of potential
exposure to blood-borne viruses that cause hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
The possible contamination occurred during four weeks in February and March of
2013 because of a lapse in the hospital’s infection-control measures. Hospital
spokeswoman Jacqueline Kozloski said that later review of patients' records
found no known cases of HIV infection. Jefferson University Hospital offered
the patients free blood tests to check for infection and in a statement said,
“As of last week, 48 patients had received their free baseline testing and
there was no evidence of infection.” The hospital recommended that all patients
get additional follow-up testing.
In gastrointestinal endoscopic
procedures, a flexible fiber-optic scope is threaded into the digestive tract
to view the intestines, stomach, or esophagus; surgical instruments may also be
inserted to remove samples of biopsy tissue. Jefferson Hospital explained in
the letter to patients that during a biopsy, "sterile, single-use"
forceps are rinsed in a cup of water that is supposed to be discarded after the
procedure; however, "some rinse water was reused for a small number of
patients." The hospital said it was waiving the fee of the patients’ GI
procedures, and "in the highly unlikely event that an infection has been
transmitted," the hospital will provide free follow-up treatment. As a
corrective measure, Jefferson Hospital has reviewed infection-control practices
and required retraining of all GI unit employees. Jefferson's website indicates
that it performs more than 13,000 endoscopic procedures a year.
Expert medical groups have created
strict guidelines for disinfecting GI endoscopy equipment. Consequently,
transmission of infection is very rare, with an estimated frequency of one in
1.8 million procedures.
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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