Now 450 patients face infection after probe into WA doctor

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Now 450 patients face infection after probe into WA doctor

JOSEPH SAPIENZA

May 17, 2010 - 9:52AM

Health authorities now fear up to 450 patients at WA hospitals could have been

exposed to serious viruses, including HIV and hepatitis, following

investigations into a doctor who failed to properly clean surgical equipment.

Late last month, the WA Country Health Service said about 250 patients could

have been infected after an anaesthetist working at hospitals across the Pilbara

allegedly used unclean equipment during treatment.

The anaesthetist, who worked at a number of regional hospitals in WA's

north-west between 2008 and early this month, is being investigated for

breaching infection control protocols.

The potential breaches involved the use of unclean equipment during anaesthetic

procedures in colonoscopies and endoscopies.

WA Country Health Services medical director Felicity Jefferies said the doctor,

who treated 250 patients at hospitals in Port Hedland, Karratha and Derby, had

been suspended during the investigation.

Today, Ms Jefferies told 6PR radio further investigations were needed after the

initial figure was released, and now the number of patients who could be

affected had jumped to more than 400.

" About 120 or so won't have been infected but we still need to contact them, " Dr

Jefferies said.

The doctor worked predominantly in the Pilbara region, especially in Port

Hedland, and also spent some time in the Kimberley and Karratha.

There are also fears the infections could spread to the metropolitan area after

Dr Jefferies confirmed the doctor had worked in Perth in the past, but she said

nothing has shown up to suggest that.

" It is confined to the Pilbara area, " she said.

Dr Jefferies believed the risk to the patients in question was " very low " .

" We're taking every step we can to make sure there is nobody infected, " she

said. " We're hoping no positive infection (will come) out of this. "

Previously, Dr Jefferies has said there was a " very, very low risk " that

patients had been exposed to a number of infections through cross-blood

contamination.

" The diseases are blood-borne virus infections, things such as hepatitis B and

C, HIV and possibly syphilis, " Dr Jefferies said.

The doctor, who trained in Australia and overseas, was " well experienced " and

not a junior doctor.

" He's been trained in different places, I don't know exactly where he was

trained, " she said.

" He has done some training in Australia but I don't want to get into the details

of this particular practitioner. "

" He did something that was unusual ... It was what everybody did 20 years ago

but now with our knowledge of infections we don't do it anymore. "

- with AAP

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