SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - Salem Hospital has notified some endoscopy patients after officials found they may have been exposed to infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C, officials said Wednesday.
Salem Hospital addressed the situation in a statement, saying the hospital was made aware earlier this year of “an isolated practice involving a small portion of endoscopy patients who were potentially exposed to infection due to the administration of their intravenous medication in a manner not consistent with our best practice.”
A hospital spokesperson in a subsequent statement said the situation affected nearly 450 patients over a period of roughly two years between June 2021 and April of this year.
Salem Hospital said the IV practice was immediately corrected after being identified. Hospital quality and infection control teams were also notified.
7NEWS learned one person involved in the situation now no longer works at Salem Hospital.
“After a comprehensive review, including feedback from public health officials at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), we have determined that the infection risk to patients from this event is extremely small,” the hospital said Wednesday.
Salem Hospital said it had notified all potentially impacted patients and set up a clinician-staffed hotline to answer questions.
The hospital said it is providing patients with free screening “and any necessary support.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the hospital said there was no evidence of any infections resulting from this incident.
“The safety of our patients is our highest priority and we have undertaken multiple corrective actions in response to this event,” Salem Hospital said. “We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community.”
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