March 25, 2011
In a half-page ad in Wednesday's Las Vegas Review-Journal, lawyers for Dr. Michael Kaplan said the urologist was following a vendor's instructions when he reused needle guides during biopsies. Kaplan ceased the practice "the moment a question arose," the ad says. The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners said Kaplan, whose license was suspended Monday, told his staff to reuse the single-use guides three to five times. The Southern Nevada Health District has said it is unknown whether any diseases were transmitted, but it is advising more than 100 patients who underwent prostate biopsy from Dec. 20 to March 11 to undergo testing for HIV and hepatitis.