Published Date: 2008-12-10 18:00:39
Subject: PRO> Hepatitis B & C, HIV, nosocomial (05): USA (NV)
Archive Number: 20081210.3882

HEPATITIS B & C, HIV, NOSOCOMIAL (05): USA (NEVADA)
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Date: Mon 8 Dec 2008
Source: JusticeNewsFlash.com [abbreviated & edited]
<http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2008/12/08/san-francisco-medical-injury-lawyerm-alexander-alerts-nevada-hep-outbreak_20081208430.html>


Nevada doctors responsible for [hepatitis] C outbreak
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Medical injury lawyers and medical malpractice news specialists alert
Americans about the largest hepatitis C outbreak ever recorded in Nevada.
This outbreak is currently the largest patient notification in the history
of the United States. The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada has been
issued with a medical malpractice complaint by the Nevada Board of Medical
Examiners for the 3rd time.

Dr Clifford Carrol, a Las Vegas gastroenterologist, faces 4 allegations
relating to the care he provided to patients at the endoscopy center.
Carrol's negligent care and lack of treatment resulted in infecting
innocent patients with the life threatening virus, hepatitis C. Malpractice
complaints by the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners have already been filed
against the clinic's majority owner, Dr Dipak Desai, and Dr Eladio Carrera.
Both have had their licenses suspended pending an investigation. The
medical board and many injured patients are claiming the health care
providers are responsible for exposing and transmitting hepatitis C virus
infection.

Bay Area medical injury attorneys reveal the following regarding the Nevada
Board of Medical Examiners' investigation into this awful tragedy:

- federal and local health officials have urged more than 53 000 former
patients of the Shadow Lane and Burnham Avenue facilities to get tested for
hepatitis B and C, and HIV [human immunodeficiency virus];
- Carrol performed a colonoscopy on a known hepatitis C patient early in
the day;
- Carrol treated a patient later that day who contracted hepatitis C;
- Desai and Carrera performed procedures on 6 people who were infected with
hepatitis C the same day;
- unsafe injection practices (reuse of syringes on different patients) by
nurse anesthetists led to transmission of hepatitis C;
- Southern Nevada Health District has definitively linked 8 hepatitis C
transmissions to the Shadow Lane facility;
- one hepatitis C case is linked to a sister facility (Desert Shadow
Endoscopy Center).

Legal government health and law informers for Justice in San Francisco,
California, discovered since the outbreak, federal and local health
officials have urged more than 53 000 former patients from the Shadow Lane
and Burnham Avenue facilities be tested for hepatitis B and C, and HIV.
Health officials say 105 hepatitis cases are "possibly associated" with one
of the clinics and health care providers. Contracting hepatitis or HIV
because a doctor, hospital, or health care provider has been negligent is a
civil injustice.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
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[Since the previous report of this incident posted on ProMED-mail on Fri 6
Sep 2008, the number of confirmed cases of hepatitis C virus infection
remains at 8, and the number of 'possibly associated' cases has increased
fro 100 to 105. The number of recalled patients has risen from 50 000 to 53
000 making this now the largest patient recall in US history. Curiously no
case of transmission of hepatitis B virus or human immunodeficiency virus
has been identified so far. It is not stated how many former patients of
the Las Vegas endoscopy clinics have responded to the recall.

The state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the United States at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?g=5509151&v=39.25,-116.751,5>. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Hepatitis B & C, HIV, nosocomial (04): USA (NV) 20080928.3073
Hepatitis B & C, HIV, nosocomial (03): USA (NV) 20080302.0854
Hepatitis B & C, HIV, nosocomial (02): USA (NV) 20080228.0809
Hepatitis B & C, HIV, nosocomial - USA: (NV), alert, RFI 20080228.0802
2002
---
Hepatitis C, clinic-acquired cluster - USA (NE) (02) 20021120.5857
Hepatitis C virus, clinic-acquired cluster - USA (NE) 20021017.5579

.................cp/mj/sh


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