listen to this articleSALEM, Mass. (AP) — A hospital in Salem, Massachusetts, says hundreds of patients may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV over a two-year period, but their risk of infection was small.
The hospital issued a statement through its parent company, Massachusetts General Brigham General Hospital, saying that approximately 450 endoscopy patients may have been exposed during intravenous drug administration “in a manner that is inconsistent with our best practices.” The hospital was informed of the problem earlier this year.
“Once discovered, this practice was immediately corrected and the hospital’s quality and infection control teams were notified,” the statement said, but it did not provide specific details of how the problem occurred.
The hospital said there is no evidence so far that any patients are infected.
The hospital said it has set up a toll-free hotline to answer questions and provide free examinations to all patients who may have been notified. “The infections we are testing for are hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, which is standard testing for these types of potential exposures,” a spokesperson for the Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham said in an email.
“Patient safety is our top priority and we have taken multiple corrective actions in response to this incident,” Salem Hospital said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to those impacted and we remain committed to Providing high-quality, compassionate health care to our communities.”
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham, Salem Hospital and 10 hospital employees on behalf of a woman who said she suffered “extra testing, extreme anxiety and emotional distress, and increased stress as a result of the exposure.” Decreased quality of life due to the virus.” or may become infected and may suffer a serious infection. ” The hospital did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.
During an endoscopy, a tube-like instrument is inserted into the body to look inside, according to the American Cancer Society. Some of the most common procedures are colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.