very sad!

[SueC]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Southern Nevada health officials are notifying 101 patients of a Las Vegas urologist they may be at risk of blood-borne disease because of the reuse of medical implements during office biopsy procedures.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday that letters from the Southern Nevada Health District advise patients of Dr. Michael Kaplan to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C.

The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners last week suspended Kaplan's medical license, citing “imminent risk of harm.”

Kaplan is accused of reusing single-use endocavity needle guides for prostate biopsies. The fear is that reuse could spread blood and bodily fluids from one patient to the next.

Health district chief Dr. Lawrence Sands says in the letter that investigators haven't identified any cases of disease related to the procedures.

[ICNDonna]

Very sad indeed. You can read the full story at http://www.lvrj.com/news/patients-ad...118405089.html


Donna

[lalarainbow]

I can't believe in this day and age why or how that could happen.. How horrible!

[icnmgrjill]

Wow... what motivation could they possibly have had in reusing these? Money?? Wowoooo!

[VickiB]

Very sad indeed!

[bubbe1]

very sad

That's awful.

[sailawaygrl]

I wonder if the staff will be held responsible as well. The article states that they attempted to clean them as good as possible. If they went along, they are guilt as well. This is absolutley disgusting. Makes you want to BYOMG, bring you own medical goods!!

[earthlady]

I remember a similar thing happening also in the state of Nevada regarding I think blood transfusions and possible HIV or Hep C contamination. They had to notify hundreds of people due to the fact they were not using disposable needles and were trying to sterilize the same ones over and over. Probably to save money. Something is wrong here..

[Mothergoose]

It is happening in Canada too, in the fall a hospital in Alberta announced that 150 + people may have been contaminated because of the reuse of a needle for sedation for scopes. the risk was small, it was they had a bottle of medication they would get a new needle/srying for new pt, they would use that, but if the person required more sedation to be given they would stick that needle back into the bottle, which may be contaminating the bottle of medication, which could contanminate the next person getting medication from the same bottle. They said the risk was small because the needle was put into an IV port not directly into the person, but contanmination is still possible.

In this case they did test all 150+ peopel at risk for HIV, hep B and C I think, but then admitted this was the third hospital in the province to have had this happen, one of which was a childrens hospital, which they did not test because there were too many people who were possibily at risk, and the testing is very expensive and has to be done 2 times, when you first know about it and again at 6 mons.

Hello they were tring to save a few pennies on a needle.

Then a bit later it came out the a hospital in British Columbia had not been cleaning their scope instrusments properly between PTs and contanmination was possible, but slim so they were not recommending testing. they said the risk was 1 in 1 million to 1 in 100 million. I bet if it was the family members of people who decided who should and should not be tested they wouldn't think 1 ina million was low risk.

Why else would people buy lottery tickets someone always wins.

Hospitals everywhere need to be held more accountable, then maybe they would not try to save pennies in the whole scheme of things.

This is just a cring shame things like this are happening, and it seems to be wide spread, these are the ones we hear about what about the ones they never tell the public about or the PT's. Makes you wonder if it is worth having tests.

MG

[amy09]

I live in Las Vegas so this hit very close to home. I actually saw this guy online when I was searching for urologists down there. I'm so glad my boyfriend and I can move back to the midwest next spring when his military contract expires.. I don't feel like I can trust any doctors down there.