Nearly 300 colonoscopy patients possibly exposed to HIV, hepatitis

Editor's Note

Nearly 300 patients who had colonoscopies at Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield, Massachusetts, may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis because of a lack of adequate disinfection measures used to clean endoscopes, the January 23 Tech Times reports.

The hospital started using new equipment that required a different method for endoscope cleaning, but because of lack of training, inadequate disinfection practices were performed. Specifically, the water irrigation port was not sufficiently exposed to high-level disinfection.

The hospital was not aware of the problem until after a Massachusetts Department of Public Health site visit. The hospital sent out notification letters to all affected patients on January 20.

People go to the hospital to have infections and diseases treated. In a Massachusetts hospital, however, nearly 300 patients who underwent colonoscopies were possibly exposed to HIV and hepatitis. Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield announced on Friday that due to a lapse in disinfection protocols, 293 patients may have been exposed to blood-borne pathogens.