Endoscopy News--CDC chimes in on cause of Hep-C

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that (at least) six Endoscopy patients tested position for Hep-C just weeks after receiving anesthesia from one of two anesthesia nurses who reported repeatedly reusing needles.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:

One of the nurse anesthetists told health investigators that the practice of reusing syringes and single-dose vials of propofol -- a fast-acting sedative -- "reflected what clinic staff had instructed him to do," according to the report . . .

The CDC concludes, as did the Southern Nevada Health District and the Nevada State Health Division, that unsafe injection practices probably resulted in six people contracting hepatitis C at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada on July 25 and Sept. 21 of last year. The nurses would use a syringe on an infected patient, and then reuse the syringe to draw medication for the patient, contaminating the medication vial for patients down the line.