Broward General Medical Center Issues Patient Notice Update in Florida Case of Nurse Who Reused IV Equipment in Cardiac Stress Tests
Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, issued a patient update on its website regarding the case of a nurse who reused IV tubes and bags on cardiac stress-test patients -- possibly exposing them to blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis B and C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The case came to light last fall when news media reported that a nurse at the South Florida medical center had been reusing lengths of IV tubing and bags on cardiac patients who submitted to intravenous stress tests between Jan. 2004 and Sept. 2009. (See Medical Liability Raised in Broward General Hospital Contaminated Blood Case: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Police Investigating).
Broward General issued a patient notice update on its website Feb. 15, 2010, on how many potentially affected patients had been contacted by certified mail to come in for screenings; how many had confirmed receipt; along with other patient communication data related to this case. According to the medical center website, 1,851 patients may have been exposed to disease by this nurse's actions. Patients are being voluntarily tested for HIV, and Hepatitis B and C. The medical center reports that to date, 929 patient test results had been received from LabCorp.
Though Broward General states that the nurse responsible for reusing IV equipment in pharmalogical stress tests acted independently, many questions about medical liability and negligence surround this troubling case. The medical center website states that after Feb. 15, 2010, updates on patient notice efforts will be posted every other week.
Fort Lauderdale medical negligence attorneys familiar with the Broward General Medical Center case in South Florida work with patients and families whose members may have contracted serious diseases due to practices not in keeping with proper medical protocols and sterile procedures.
