Clinic Mistake Exposes Patients To HIV and Hepatitis

By Pelliciari on February 9, 2011 in News 23

Photo: Andrew Magill (CC)

It’s difficult to hear your doctor say you have cancer. It’s even more difficult to hear how his nurse used the same needle for 2 months before using it to take your blood. Sky News reports:

More than 50 cancer patients will have to wait an agonising three months to find out whether they have been infected with HIV, after a NSW clinic used one needle on patients for two months.

The bungle occurred when a newly employed nurse mistakenly believed the Accu-Chek Multiclix, a device used to check blood sugar levels, automatically changed needles.

Dr. Michael Jones, chairman of the private radiology company PRP Diagnostic Imaging which runs the Gosford clinic, said the nurse didn’t realise she had to change the needle manually for each new patient.

Instead, the needle was left unchanged between November 28 and January 28, and used on 53 patients and two staff members.

The patients had visited the clinic to undertake a positron emission tomography (PET) scan for cancer detection, which requires them to have their blood sugar levels tested.

The error was discovered when a staff member with diabetes asked the nurse to perform the test on her and discovered the incorrect usage, Dr Jones said.

[Continues at Sky News]

Accu-Chek Multiclix, Clinic, Disease, Hepatitis, HIV, infection, Mistake, Needle, PRP Diagnostic Imaging

$4251815

It’s times like this when I’m glad I lost my healthcare with my career two years ago… Er, wait…
Anonymous

It’s times like this when I’m glad I lost my healthcare with my career two years ago… Er, wait…
LeSigh

This situation is very familiar to what happened at my hometown hospital. The nurse lost her license and was otherwise exiled from town, and the doctor that contributed fled the country with his assets. Go figure.
LeSigh

This situation is very familiar to what happened at my hometown hospital. The nurse lost her license and was otherwise exiled from town, and the doctor that contributed fled the country with his assets. Go figure.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_C5SV3Y6GG7GRK3NBX64IXAXDGM Jessica Hurst

Considering that almost every nursing student I’ve met is functionally retarded, I’m not surprised.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_C5SV3Y6GG7GRK3NBX64IXAXDGM Jessica Hurst

Considering that almost every nursing student I’ve met is functionally retarded, I’m not surprised.
Severts

“bungle”??!!! That’s a slight understatement.
Severts

“bungle”??!!! That’s a slight understatement.
Marc

oh. my. god.
Marc

oh. my. god.
David Frost

Thats awful!
David Frost

Thats awful!
Anonymous

Of course this is Australia with universal health care and public hospitals. See the advantage of private for profit services, oh wait, this happened at a private for profit clinic, where training and supervision take second place to profits, go figure.
Anonymous

Of course this is Australia with universal health care and public hospitals. See the advantage of private for profit services, oh wait, this happened at a private for profit clinic, where training and supervision take second place to profits, go figure.
rtb61

Of course this is Australia with universal health care and public hospitals. See the advantage of private for profit services, oh wait, this happened at a private for profit clinic, where training and supervision take second place to profits, go figure.
WhiteRose

The shit that happens in hospitals could scare the shit out of anyone but some of these newer fancy machines are presumed to do it all. Communication is KEY
WhiteRose

The shit that happens in hospitals could scare the shit out of anyone but some of these newer fancy machines are presumed to do it all. Communication is KEY
Hq

“..the nurse didn’t realise she had to change the needle manually for each new patient.”

Who’s training these nurses?
Hq

“..the nurse didn’t realise she had to change the needle manually for each new patient.”

Who’s training these nurses?
HF

“we replaced the device” ?? WTF? replace yourself!
GBSS

“we replaced the device” ?? WTF? replace yourself!
Daggumit

I live in Las Vegas and it was only a couple of years ago that the same thing happened. Everyone who had a colonoscopy over a two week period were potentially exposed to AIDS and Hepatitis. They were reusing the same instruments without disinfecting them and replacing the disposable parts.
Daggumit

I live in Las Vegas and it was only a couple of years ago that the same thing happened. Everyone who had a colonoscopy over a two week period were potentially exposed to AIDS and Hepatitis. They were reusing the same instruments without disinfecting them and replacing the disposable parts.