About 300 Patients who had Colonoscopy in Baystate Noble Hospital Possibly Exposed to Hepatitis C, HIV

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Around 300 patients may have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis due to lapse in cleaning and disinfection protocols after undergoing colonoscopy in Baystate Noble Hospital.

Patients who have colonoscopy procedures from June 11, 2012 to April 17, 2013, may have been exposed to blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis. According to the hospital's officials, the disinfection protocol was not met because they have been using new equipment in 2012. Lack of proper training and practices may not have properly disinfected the equipment.

A colonoscopy is a procedure where the inner lining of the large intestine including the rectum and colon will be examined using a thin tube called a colonoscope. According to WebMD, the test helps determine if a patient has tumors, polyps, ulcers, inflammation or bleeding.

The issue specifically was "the disinfection of those endoscopes between procedures did not adequately expose the devices' single water irrigation channel to high-level disinfection during the last phase of cleaning," Fox61 notes.

According to Tech Times, the officials from Baystate Noble Hospital sent notifications by mail to all affected patients. The patients were invited for precautionary screening for which the hospital will shoulder. They also released a formal apology regarding the mishap in a press release.

"On behalf of Baystate Noble Hospital and Baystate Health, I apologize to all those affected by this failure in safety," said hospital president Ronald Bryant. "The safety of our patients is our very highest priority, and we take full responsibility for our part in allowing these patients to have potentially received unsafe care."

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health notified the hospital in December 2015of the risk after a site visit, National Daily Press reports.

"As soon as we became aware of the issue, we took steps to respond to the situation and notify those affected," the news release stated.

Although the risk of infection is small, precautions will be made.

"Due to the function of the water irrigation channel and the phase of disinfection at which the failure occurred, the risk to patients is very low," said Dr. Sarah Haesslar, head epidemiologist at Baystate Noble Hospital. "However, that risk is not zero, so we're taking the necessary steps to address these issues and provide patients with the resources they need."

The interim chief medical officer of the hospital, Dr. Stanley Strzempko states that they are working closely with the Department of Public Health with regards to the issue. Affected patients will be given full support in any way that they can, reports Mass Live.