VA clinic warns of possible contaminant exposure

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VA clinic warns of possible contaminant exposureBy BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer Bill Poovey, Associated PressWriter – 52 mins agoCHATTANOOGA, Tenn.http://news. . com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_re_us/veterans_colonoscopiesThousands of patients at a Veterans Administration clinic in Tennessee mayhave been exposed to the infectious body fluids of other patients whenthey had colonoscopies in recent years, and now VA medical facilities allover the U.S. are reviewing their own procedures.VA officials also said a problem was found with equipment at an ear, noseand

throat clinic at the VA medical center in Augusta, Ga., and 1,800veterans have been notified they may have been exposed to infection there.A spokesman at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.,said the clinic is offering free blood tests and medical care to allpatients whose records show they had colonoscopies between April, 23, 2003and Dec. 1, 2008. Conklin said in a telephone interview Friday that notificationletters were sent this week by registered mail to 6,378 patients of theMurfreesboro facility. He said no related health problems have beenreported, and every measure is being taken to assure that affectedveterans are

screened.One veteran who received notification, Simpson, 57, said, "The factthat it took five years for them to catch a mistake like that — it seemslike somebody should have caught an incorrect valve and incorrect cleaningof the equipment during that time." His wife Janice called the discovery"sickening" and "horrifying."Conklin said a valve on equipment used in the colonoscopies was discoveredwrongly connected Dec. 1 and the mistake was traced back to April 23,2003.A statement from the VA said that in response to the discovery atMurfreesboro and an inspection that found a problem with endoscopicequipment at the VA medical center in Augusta, Ga., all VA medical centersand outpatient clinics are reviewing procedures in a special trainingprogram described as a "step-up."A VA statement released Monday said 1,800 veterans who were

treated inAugusta, Ga. from January through November last year in the ear, nose andthroat clinic at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center are being notified"that they may have been exposed to infection because the instrument usedin the procedure was improperly disinfected." The statement described therisk of infection as "extremely small."Simpson, a Tennessee Valley Authority retiree who lives in Spring City,received his notice Wednesday and went Thursday to a local doctor for ablood screening. He was awaiting results Friday of tests that included HIVand hepatitis.Simpson, who served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1974, said he had acolonoscopy at the clinic

in Murfreesboro in 2007.His wife said she was "praying it comes out OK."She said the notification letter refers to an incorrect valve and also to"tubing attached to the scope that may not have been properly cleanedbetween patients.""I would like to know if they were using tubing that should have beenthrown out," she said.A statement released by Conklin said that while the "valve-tube connectiondoes not come in direct contact with a patient, there is a possibilitypatients may have been exposed to infection.""We know this will upset many veterans," Morales, director of VATennessee Valley Health Care System that includes the Murfreesboro clinic,said in the statement. "Both circumstances present a minimal risk ofexposure to the

veterans who had this procedure. We believe thisaggressive approach to notification enforces our commitment to those weserve."Spiritual freedom is my birthright. I am a free thinker. I am able to rise above mentalprejudices and stereotypes of others. I am a free thinker. Nobody and nothing can manipulateme or deceive me. I am a free thinker. I freely choose truth and love. Today, I embrace a greater degree of spiritualfreedom.