VA patients exposed to HIV, hepatitis

Every hospital in the country is on alert after thousands of patients have been put at risk of HIV and hepatitis from unsterilized equipment used during surgery.

[Ms Baby]

How any hospital CANNOT sterilize colonoscopy equipment between uses is beyond belief!

[Indy VA]

When you report on a story like this, it would be nice if you noted that none of the problems where within the VA Hospital here in Indy.

This casual reporting on a topic like this is irresponsible when it causes fear of VA Hospitals that are not part of this problem...

[Lucy]

This is really sad that in our day and age this is still happening. My father was a WWII vet and had open heart surgery at the VA hospital,this was at least 25 years ago. He lived for 10 years with Hepititis C and sufferd greatly. He got it during surgery at the VA hospital. You would not believe what this did to his wife and 7 children. My mother has been in depression sence he has died and that was 13 years ago. She really never recovered from his death. She really died with him. But this is just shocking that it is still happening. Whar ever happened to just cleaning the instruments. This is really unbelievable. How many peple have to die before you just make sure everything is done by the book. God Help Us All.

[Mi-Lo]

Truly this is sickening. A person goes to the hospital for medical care and comes out with a medical emergency and even worse than what went in for. God is watching All sees all those who have contaminated the lives of other through shear fooliness. I can assure you, they shall be dealt with Above in Glory and on earth below. Really this is heartbreaking news. My prayers go out to the familes affected by this shameful practice.

[Glasnos]

If you think this is bad ... just wait until all hospitals are run by the government under Obama's universal healthcare. This will be a lot more common.

[Jerry]

Glasnos wrote:

If you think this is bad ... just wait until all hospitals are run by the government under Obama's universal healthcare. This will be a lot more common.

Get over yourself with the Obama hate!! One has nothing to do with the other!! It was careless employees that weren't trained properly on how to sterilize the equipement or were just plain lazy.

[Glasnos]

Jerry wrote:

<quoted text> Get over yourself with the Obama hate!! One has nothing to do with the other!! It was careless employees that weren't trained properly on how to sterilize the equipement or were just plain lazy.

Do you think government run hospitals are going to be better or worse?
I know it is hard for democrats ... but just try and be honest with yourself.

[Sickened]

This story is truly the pathetic professional standands that is rampant today - CRIMINAL! This is disgusting. I wish the press had done their job long before now and perhaps it wouldn't be dead today. The media has been complacent far too long - responsible unless the F.O.I.A. got in the way, but probably not. Buyer's words are hollow - speaking, but quit listening a very long time ago.

[Tim]

I'm a Vet, and I've had alot of things and surgery's from them over the years. While still serving all over this world, and KEEPING this COUNTRY FREE and OUR PEOPLE FREE!!! What Up?????????? Should We Still have to keep FIGHTING??? Please let Me Know??????????

[sikopatty]

I think it's a crying shame that a hospital doesn't sterilize equipment, especially when it is such an invasive prceedure. I feel for all that have been incently exposed and I believe the VA needs to pay closer attention and monitoring of whats going on,especially when its a high risk area. My prayers go out to all.

[oif veteran]

wow how hard is it to clean apparently it could be a matter of life or death
patients anywhere deserve the best care possible including vets
those involved in the procedures mentioned should be held accountable for their actions
infecting people shold be a crime punishable under law

[Kim]

This is just shocking! I don't even know what to say! How can anyone be so stupid and lazy and claim to be a professional? Please don't respond to this with any excuse, there isn't one!

[peekaboo]

Its very sad that this kind of incompetence can happen in the world's supposed "most advanced" country in the world and its "superior" healthcare. The incompetent parties responsible should be fired, fined and sued--never to practice medicine again.

[peekaboo]

Glasnos wrote:

If you think this is bad ... just wait until all hospitals are run by the government under Obama's universal healthcare. This will be a lot more common.

sad but very true. Universal healthcare is the ultimate threat to all of us.

[peekaboo]

Kim wrote:

This is just shocking! I don't even know what to say! How can anyone be so stupid and lazy and claim to be a professional? Please don't respond to this with any excuse, there isn't one!

Actually I have an explanation, but not an excuse. VA hospitals are run by the government. If you think this is bad, jut wait till we have government-sponsored universal healthcare.

[indycitizen]

peekaboo wrote:

<quoted text>sad but very true. Universal healthcare is the ultimate threat to all of us.

I agree. Universal healthcare might be a bad solution to the quality and safe of healthcare. There should of been more quality indicators and best pratices taken place in the hospitals were this incident occured. Hopefully, someone, or some organization will be held liable/responsible for this horrible incident.

[NURSE NANCY]

This is just simple cost cutting by the hospital, nothing sinister about it. The hospital wants to save money any way it can, so they decided to cut corners on things that affect patient health and safety. Cleaning everything costs a lot of money and it's one of the first things that gets cut whenever possible. Hospitals used to have a department just to sterilize apparatus used on or in patients, but as cost cutting happened there were lay offs and soon there wasn't enough staff to maintain that department and provide complete service, so some things don't get the full treatment, sometimes the apparatus isn't stored in a sterile area anymore. Sometimes the staff using it just isn't trained to keep it sterile.

But it all comes down to the hospital insuring it's profit flow. I know, until I quit the industry because of what I was ordered to do, my supervisor would tell me that I couldn't send a special apparatus to central sterile supply to be sterilized, she told me to wipe it down with alcohol so it could be used on the next patient. The doctors knew that it was that way, and didn't care, they didn't like being held up while some instrument was being sterilized either, it cut into their profits as well.

The system has to change, because the greed that runs it is killing us.

[Glasnos]

I have some very bad news ... under Obama's universal healthcare, and government run hospitals, standards will suffer ... they always do when government runs them. We are on the brink of a national and worldwide healthcare epidemic that many are not aware of ... which we have been warned was coming for decades. We are beginning to see staff infections that are not responding to any known anti-biotic. 75% of staff infections are contracted in hospitals ... now do we really want the government running them?

[NURSE NANCY]

Glasnos wrote:

I have some very bad news ... under Obama's universal healthcare, and government run hospitals, standards will suffer ... they always do when government runs them. We are on the brink of a national and worldwide healthcare epidemic that many are not aware of ... which we have been warned was coming for decades. We are beginning to see staff infections that are not responding to any known anti-biotic. 75% of staff infections are contracted in hospitals ... now do we really want the government running them?

Won't make any difference, cutting costs so that everyone can afford healthcare, or cutting cost to maintain the profit margin, the patients are the ones who will suffer the consequences. Right now more patients are suffering because they don't have affordable healthcare than those who receive a poor standard of care due to profit mongering by the healthcare corporations. Staffing cuts have gutted the industry to the point that those who are working are overworked to the point of making mistakes that cost lives, while at the same time profits are up for the leading healthcare corporations all over. Patients can't afford their drugs, and many do without the drugs they need, but the drug companies are making record profits, CLAIMING it's all in the name of research and development (similar to the lies from the gas companies CLAIMING the profits all go back into the search for more oil) As in the third world, no care is far worse than poor care, the US has fallen dramatically in quality of care over the last thirty years, we are below standard already compared to some third world countries already. We should be proud of ourselves. In thirty years we have gone from the best healthcare system in the world to the most expensive and limited industry in the world.

[msken]

Infection Control guidelines have been in place for years for the proper sterilization of equipment used in the GI labs--the fact that this was NOT done is a criminal offense in my opinion--especially in today's world of knowledge--thank you, Tulsa,Ok