Goshen Hospital admits that over 1000 surgical patients may have been exposed to HIV, Hepatitis and other infectious diseases
GOSHEN, INDIANA: A recently discovered sterilization issue may have exposed Goshen Hospital patients who underwent surgery between the dates of April 1 and September 30 to potentially serious diseases, hospital officials have revealed.
The hospital is now reportedly facing a class-action lawsuit for negligence leading to the endangerment of lives.
In a letter to affected patients sent out earlier in November, Randy Christophel, president and CEO of Goshen Health, and Daniel Nafziger, hospital chief medical officer, announced that one of the hospital's seven surgical instrument sterilization technicians failed to complete one of the necessary steps in the hospital's multi-step sterilization process with certain surgical instruments between April 1 and September 30.
This potentially exposed surgical patients to deadly infections like the hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to Goshen News.
"As with any patient safety concern, we rigorously investigated all aspects around the incident," Nafziger said of Goshen Health's response to the situation. "We have put strict policies and additional safety measures in place to ensure it does not happen again. We also want to express our concern for each of these patients."
WNDU reported that a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Goshen Health as a result of the incident.
According to Shannon McNett-Silcox, marketing director for Goshen Health, a total of 1,182 surgical patients could have potentially been exposed as a result of the sterilization issue.
The hospital has announced that there's no reason to suspect that anyone who underwent a surgical procedure before April 1 or after September 30 would be impacted by the sterilization issue.
"We have made arrangements for free lab testing to be available immediately at our outpatient testing center at 1115 Professional Drive, Goshen," the letter released by the hospital stated.
"If it is not convenient for you to come to Goshen for testing, please let us know. Call 574-364-2100 to schedule your test today. The test includes a blood draw, and it is not necessary to fast beforehand."
The letter noted that lab results will be processed within 10 business days from the date of testing and patients will be notified of their results via phone call and mail.
"To completely rule out any potential exposure, additional testing dates may be necessary based on the timing of your procedure," the letter added. "Our colleagues can provide you with full details and information."