[Courtesy of GlobalGrind]
More than 700 patients at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Center may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C from reused insulin pens, according to the Huffington Post.
We smell a lawsuit!
Although authorities told The Buffalo News that there is a very small risk for a diabetic patient who may have been exposed between Oct. 19, 2010 and November 2012, the hospital said it’s giving free blood tests to rule out the possibility of infection.
In a statement to The Associated Press, VA spokeswoman Evangeline Conley said the hospital “recently discovered that in some cases, insulin pens were not labeled for individual patients.” She added that, “although the pen needles were always changed, an insulin pen may have been used on more than one patient.”
Conley said that once this was discovered the hospital took “immediate action” to ensure the insulin pens were being used according to pharmaceutical guidelines.
According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, reusable pens should only be used on one patient.
This is no joke. We’re hoping everyone gets tested and that they aren’t infected because of the hospital’s negligence!
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