Nearly 450 patients may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis, Massachusetts hospital says
Several patients at a Massachusetts hospital may have been at risk of contracting harmful infections, according to the hospital.
Nearly 450 endoscopy patients at Salem Hospital were “potentially impacted” by exposure to diseases such a HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C over a two-year period, Adam Bagni, a spokesperson for the hospital’s parent company Mass General Brigham, told McClatchy News. There is an “extremely small risk” for patients, he said, and there haven’t been any cases reported as of Nov. 16.
Salem Hospital learned of the possible exposure earlier in the year, according to a Nov. 15 statement. The cause of the heightened medical risk was a result of improper use of IV medication that wasn’t “consistent with our best practice,” the hospital said in its statement.
After discovering the potential exposure, the hospital said it conducted a “comprehensive review” with the assistance of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and has pursued “multiple corrective actions.”
All patients who may have been affected were notified by the hospital, Bagni said. The hospital is also providing free screenings for the potential viruses, according to its statement.
Endoscopies involve a tube-like device that doctors use to examine the inside of someone’s body.
Salem is about 20 miles northeast of Boston.
