Patient says reused equipment caused infection scare at Salem Hospital

#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

#inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

SALEM — A Salem man who was among the nearly 450 patients who could have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis infections at Salem Hospital said he was told that a reused piece of equipment was the cause of the scare.

Geoff Millar said he was informed by hospital officials that equipment used in administering anesthesia to endoscopy patients was used on multiple patients instead of being changed for each patient to prevent infections.

Millar said he was notified by the hospital last month, on Oct. 25, that he was one of the patients who could have been exposed. Millar, 47, had had a colonoscopy at Salem Hospital more than a year earlier, in September of 2022.

Millar said he took the free blood test that was offered by the hospital earlier this month and the results were negative.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” he said.

Salem Hospital officials said this week that nearly 450 patients were potentially exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV “due to the administration of their intravenous medication in a manner not consistent with our best practice.”

The hospital said it was made aware of the practice earlier this year and immediately corrected it. Officials said there is no evidence to date of any infections, and said the infection risk to patients is “extremely small.”

A hospital spokesman said approximately 90% of the potentially impacted patients have either completed, scheduled or declined testing.

Salem Hospital has not offered more information about the exact nature of the mistake, which it called an “isolated practice.” The potential exposures took place from June 14, 2021, to April 19, 2023, according to a message sent to patients by Dr. Mitchell Rein, the chief medical officer at Salem Hospital.

Asked why the problem took so long to detect, a hospital spokesman said it involved a “single contracted individual” and that the practice “was not easily observed.” He said the individual no longer works at Salem Hospital.

Millar, the patient from Salem, said he was told about the reused equipment when he called a phone number that Salem Hospital gave out when it notified patients of a possible exposure. He said he was told it was not the IV needle or tubing but another piece of equipment used in anesthesia that was supposed to be “single use” equipment, meaning it should have been changed out for each patient.

“I thought it was very forthcoming of them to admit this was literally something being done in a way it was not supposed to be done,” Millar said. “I don’t think they downplayed that. They basically admitted that they weren’t following the proper procedure.”

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the agency was aware of the situation and performed an on-site investigation at Salem Hospital and worked with Mass General Brigham’s infection control team “to manage the situation.” Salem Hospital is part of Mass General Brigham.

MassDPH said its investigation has not identified evidence of any infections resulting from the exposure and said the risk of infection is “very low.” The agency said it advised Salem Hospital to notify all impacted patients in writing about the potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens and to offer free follow-up care, including testing.

MassDPH did not return a message asking for more specifics about what Salem Hospital did wrong.

According to the MassDPH website, hepatitis B can develop into a serious disease that can lead to cirrhosis and/or liver cancer. Hepatitis C causes liver damage and can cause cancer and death. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, weakens the immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

#inform-video-player-3 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }