Canada: Patients Not Infected After Tests With Dirty Equipment -- Health Authority

No patients who underwent testing were found to have contracted viruses as a result of unsanitary endoscopy equipment at Victoria General Hospital, the Vancouver Island Health Authority has reported. VIHA notified 463 patients in April that procedures conducted between June 2008 and January 2010 may have exposed them to HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Of those, 391 underwent testing and none were found to be infected, said Shannon Marshall, VIHA spokesperson. The investigation began when it was noted that particles of dried blood remained on one endoscope after cleaning. As a result, Marshall said the hospital altered its practices so that the endoscopes are kept wet until they are cleaned and are visually inspected afterward. Marshall expressed the agency's regret for the stress caused to patients and their families.

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