VA Contacting Veterans Who Received Prostate Biops

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VA Contacting Veterans Who Received Prostate Biopsies

Please cross post this, working with HIV and Hep C clients I know
enough about HIV, Hep C, Hep B, to know
anyone one of them could be easily contacted through this type of
biopsie if the instruments were not properly cleaned. Since one can
have HIV and Hep C for years without any signs of illness it is
important this information is passed around, especilly since our
people have a higher number of Vets. If one has had this biopsie in
one of the states listed don't wait to be contacted, contact the VA now.
Dodie

VA Contacting Veterans Who Received Prostate Biopsies

Patient safety inquestion at VA medical centers
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MEDIA RELATIONS
WASHINGTON, DC 20420

[phone]
WWW.VA.GOV
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April XX, 2006
VA Contacting Veterans Who Received Prostate Biopsies

WASHINGTON – Some veterans who received prostate biopsies in medical
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 11 states,
the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico may have been treated with
improperly disinfected instruments, VA officials announced today.

Although VA has not received any reports of patients being harmed,
the Department is notifying all veterans who were treated by the
equipment in question, called "a prostate biopsy transducer." VA is
also offering follow-on testing to determine if these veterans were
exposed to any other ailments.

"The safety of our patients is of paramount concern," said Dr.
Jonathan B. Perlin, VA's Under Secretary for Health. "VA's patient
safety program detected this problem. Whenever there's a problem, we
believe in notifying our patients and taking remedial steps immediately."

Although VA inspectors found that the equipment used for the
prostate biopsies was being cleaned and disinfected after each
procedure, some equipment was not being scrubbed by a brush after each
use, resulting in the remote possibility of infection.

Improperly scrubbed equipment carries a small risk of exposing
patients to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV).

VA is notifying patients who received prostate biopsies with the
equipment in question at the following facilities:

· District of Columbia
· Iowa: Iowa City
· Maine: Togus
· Minnesota: Minneapolis
· Montana: Fort Harrison, Miles City
· Nevada: Las Vegas
· New York: Buffalo, Canandaigua
· Ohio: Cincinnati
· Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
· Oregon: Portland
· Puerto Rico: San Juan
· Tennessee: Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville
· Wisconsin: Milwaukee
Patients treated by the improperly scrubbed equipment will be
notified and will be offered tests. The Department is working with
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the manufacturer and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).