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Ann Oregon The anaesthesiologist was suspended after he may have infected a patient. Portland– Local hospitals Infection.
More than 2,000 patients at Providence Portland Willamette Falls Medical Center and Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center in the Portland area have been notified that they may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis, the department said. KGW8.
Legacy Health, a hospital operator some of whose facilities were affected, said it would send letters to 221 patients it believed were affected, the media reported.
The “infection control violations” were attributed to a third-party anesthesiologist contracted through Oregon Anesthesiology Group, who provided care at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center for six months.
He will take up the role in December 2023, the media outlet reported.
“Upon learning of this situation, we immediately suspended the provider and initiated a comprehensive investigation in accordance with regulations and our company policies and procedures,” Legacy Health said in a statement.
According to the media, Providence announced that 2,200 patients at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center and two patients at Portland Medical Center had been notified of the breach.
The group also told KGW8 the infection is linked to one medical professional who is not employed by the anesthesiology group, and hundreds of surgeries have been delayed as Legacy switched to another provider. KGW8 reported.
Neither organization has provided details about how the patients were directly exposed. diseaseBut Providence said patients are at “low risk” of exposure to hepatitis B and C. HIV.
“To be on the safe side, we are encouraging these patients to undergo free blood testing to check for the aforementioned infections. If the patient tests positive, Providence will contact them to discuss the test results and next steps,” the company said.
“Patient safety is our number one priority and we are fully committed to thoroughly reviewing this matter and taking appropriate action on behalf of our patients.”
The Oregon Anesthesiology Group, which employed the anesthesiologist in question, said in a statement:
“Patient safety is our number one priority. When we learned that the physician violated infection control practices, we suspended him, notified our partners, Legacy Health and Providence, launched an investigation and terminated the physician.
“While the risk of infection was low, new protocols and procedures have been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The Oregon Health Authority said it is not aware of any illnesses linked to the potential leak.
A statement from the department said the doctor at the centre of the scandal had used “unacceptable infection control practices that put patients at risk of infection”.
“While news of infection control violations at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center may be distressing to some, it is important to know that Oregon health care providers employ highly qualified and skilled infection preventionists and laboratory staff who are leading the charge in preventing health care associated infections.”
