456 Piedmont Patients Warned About Improperly Cleaned Devices

The Piedmont West Surgery Center in Atlanta failed to properly clean equipment used in colonoscopies, placing 456 patients at risk of serious infection.

According to the hospital network, only patients who had colonoscopies at the center between May 2011 and mid-April 2013 are involved.

The hospital network sent letters to those patients and advised them to get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. According to Dr. Leigh Hamby, Piedmont’s chief medical officer, statistically the risk of transmission is low. Piedmont found no problems at its other facilities.

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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