2023-11-18 04:01:00
Former patients have filed a lawsuit against an American hospital because they may have been exposed to dangerous viruses. According to their lawyers, the patients could have easily contracted HIV or hepatitis in the hospital due to incorrect use of injection needles. The former patients are jointly suing Mass General Brigham (MGB) after that healthcare institution, the largest in the US state of Massachusetts, announced on Wednesday that incorrect procedures had been followed when vaccinating patients in the endoscopy department over the past two years. Up to 450 patients at Salem Hospital, which is part of MGB, are said to have been exposed to hepatitis B, C and HIV. Ten healthcare workers have also been accused of negligence.
According to affected patients, medical staff reused hypodermic needles instead of throwing them away and using new ones after each use, as is common practice. In a statement, MGB said the hospital is aware that that exposure could have occurred in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures, such as colonoscopies.
The Salem Hospital reports that its procedures were immediately corrected as soon as it was notified. The hospital said the risk of infection to patients is “extremely low” and that all potentially affected patients have been notified and have received free screenings. So far there have been no reports of anyone contracting an infection. All patients who are at risk have been informed and can be tested free of charge, a hospital spokesperson said.
The class action was filed by a former patient named Melinda Cashman who says she suffered permanent injuries and extreme anxiety and emotional distress as a result of the hospital’s careless actions.]
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