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IG: VA Endoscopic Equipment Use Improves
September 18, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Inspections show that Veterans Department medical facilities have made significant progress on fixing endoscopic procedure problems that potentially exposed thousands to HIV and other infections.
IG: VA Endoscopic Equipment Use Improves
Inspector General Completes Study of VA Endoscopic Programs
Veterans having had any of these procedures,
colonoscopies or endoscopies,
may need to check with their local VA
Lawmakers Slam VA Over Colonoscopies
June 16, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers sharply criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday about why a national scare over botched colonoscopies earlier this year didn't prompt stronger safeguards at the agency's medical centers.
Lawmakers Slam VA Over Colonoscopies
VA officials grilled over botched colonoscopies
VA Endoscope Problem is Department-Wide
June 16, 2009
Associated Press
Washington, D.C. — Today, a disturbing report reveals that, despite earlier outrage on the issue, continued medical procedure failures at numerous Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities may have exposed veterans to infectious diseases.
VA Endoscope Problem is Department-Wide
Report Confirms VA Endoscope Problem is Department-Wide
VA Continues Endoscopic Procedure Notification for Veterans
Panel to Disclose VA Equipment Mistakes
June 15, 2009
Associated Press
A congressional panel is pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to disclose on Tuesday whether non-sterile equipment that may have exposed 10,000 veterans to HIV and other infections was isolated to three Southeast hospitals or is part of a wider problem.
Panel to Disclose VA Equipment Mistakes
VA to tell House panel about mistakes with equipment used for colonoscopies
Congressional panel urges VA to disclose scope of exposure
Hearing to Air VA Mistakes With Hospital Equipment
Hearing to examine VA equipment mistakes
AP NewsBreak: VA inspections show training flawss
Associated Press
The Associated Press has learned that fewer than half of Veterans Affairs clinics given a surprise inspection last month followed proper standards for colonoscopies and other minimally invasive procedures - even after the agency learned that mistakes may have exposed thousands of veterans to HIV and other diseases.
AP NewsBreak: VA inspections show training flaws
Panel to Analyze VA Hospital Mishaps
May 29, 2009
Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.
The VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga., get follow-up blood checks. Five have tested positive for HIV and 43 have tested positive for hepatitis, according to an update on the VA Web site Friday.
http://www.military.com/news/article/panel-to-analyze-va-hospital-mishaps.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/
http://news.yahoo.com/
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_veterans_colonoscopy_053009w/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/29/ap/national/main5049409.shtml
Rep: Find More Vets in VA Testing Flub
May 22, 2009
Associated Press
MIAMI - The Department of Veterans Affairs must do a better job of finding and testing veterans who may have been exposed to contaminated medical equipment at the Miami VA hospital, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Thursday.
Rep: Find More Vets in VA Testing Flub
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98APGQ00&show_article=1&catnum=0
http://images.salon.com/wires/ap/us/2009/05/21/D98APGQ00_us_veterans_colonoscopies/
VA: Fifth Patient Infected With HIV
May 02, 2009
Associated Press
MIAMI, Fl. - A fifth patient has tested positive for HIV, and seven more tested positive for hepatitis after being exposed to contaminated medical equipment at three Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, the agency said Friday.
That brings the total who have tested positive for hepatitis to 33.
They are among thousands tested because they were treated with endoscopic equipment that wasn't properly sterilized between patients and exposed them to the body fluids of others. The equipment is often used in colonoscopies and ear, nose and throat procedures.
http://www.military.com/news/article/va-fifth-patient-infected-with-hiv.html?col=1186032310810
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12273860
http://www.wsmv.com/news/19343076/detail.html
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1555111,CST-NWS-vets02.article
http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=49179024&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090502/ap_on_re_us/us_veterans_colonoscopies;_ylt=AjHMUTY2_ZRHoBzHtT6GphYGyLYF
3 Vets in Contaminated Tests Have HIV
April 20, 2009
Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Three patients exposed to contaminated medical equipment at Veterans Affairs hospitals have tested positive for HIV, the agency said Friday.
Initial tests show one patient each from VA medical facilities in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Augusta, Ga.; and Miami has the virus that causes AIDS, according to a VA statement.
The three cases included one positive HIV test reported earlier this month, but the VA didn't identify the facility involved at the time.
The patients are among more than 10,000 getting tested because they were treated with endoscopic equipment that wasn't properly sterilized and exposed them to other people's body fluids.
http://www.military.com/news/article/3-vets-in-contaminated-tests-have-hiv.html?col=1186032310810
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfapr09/nf041809-1.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/17/health/main4952908.shtml
http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstories/?blockID=269499&feedID=1198
Vet Positive for HIV After Test Error
April 7, 2009
Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A Veterans Affairs patient who was among thousands treated with unsterilized equipment has tested positive for HIV, the first such case reported since the department warned veterans they could have been exposed to infectious diseases.
The VA previously reported that hepatitis had been found in 16 patients, but the agency cautioned there was no way to prove that the patients contracted the illnesses because of treatment at their facilities.
In an e-mail late Friday, the agency said it was investigating "the possibility of such a relationship."
The VA earlier this year warned more than 10,000 veterans to get blood tests because they could have been exposed to contamination while getting colonoscopies in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/apr/07/va-patient-tests-positive-for-hiv/
http://www.cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2009/US/04/07/va.investigation/index.html
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfmar09/nf033109-3.htm
http://www.military.com/news/article/vet-positive-for-hiv-after-test-error.html?col=1186032310810
Patients of Problem VA Clinics Infected
March 28, 2009
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Viral infections, including hepatitis, have been found in 16 patients exposed to contaminated equipment at Veterans Affairs medical facilities, a department spokeswoman said Friday. So far, 10 colonoscopy patients from the VA medical center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., have tested positive for hepatitis, VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts told The Associated Press.
In a later e-mail, she reported six patients at the VA's ear, nose and throat clinic in Augusta, Ga, tested positive for unspecified viral infections.
The number of reported infections could rise.
More than 10,000 veterans were warned to get blood tests because they could have been exposed to contamination at those two facilities plus a medical center in Miami. All three sites failed to properly sterilize equipment between treatments, and the problems dated back for more than five years at the Murfreesboro and Miami hospitals.
http://www.military.com/news/article/patients-of-problem-va-clinics-infected.html?wh=wh
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/304384/36/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8426549
http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/1110143.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VETERANS_COLONOSCOPIES?SITE=WIBEV&SECTION=HOME
Vets at Miami VA Put at Risk for HIV and other Diseases
March 24, 2009
Associated Press
MIAMI - Officials say more than 3,000 patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Miami had colonoscopies with equipment that wasn't properly sterilized
They've been told they should be tested for HIV and other diseases.
The VA insists the risk of infection is minimal and only involved tubing on equipment, not any device that actually touched a patient. But it's the second recent announcement of errors during colonoscopies at VA facilities.
Last month, more than 6,000 patients at a clinic in Tennessee were told they may have been exposed to infectious body fluids during colonoscopies.
The VA also said 1,800 veterans treated at an ear, nose and throat clinic in Augusta, Ga., were alerted they could have been exposed to an infection due to improper disinfection of an instrument.
http://www.military.com/news/article/va-scope-of-vet-contamination-unknown.html?col=1186032310810
http://www.startribune.com/nation/41707012.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiacyKUnciatkEP7DhUr
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/964589.html
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/content/health/epaper/2009/03/24/0324vetshiv_copy.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143427.php
http://www.news-press.com/article/20090324/NEWS01/90324057/1002/NEWS01
Vets Possibly Exposed to Infection
Week of February 16, 2009
The Department of Veterans Affairs is notifying approximately 7,600 veterans who have had colonoscopies at the York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., or had endoscopies at the Augusta, Ga.-based Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers that they may have been exposed to an infection. For more information, patients of The York VA Medical Center can call 1-877-345-8555, Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., CST. Patients of the Augusta Ga. VA can call (706) 731-7229 or 1-888-483-9674 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday-- after hours, call 1-800-836-5561.
VA clinic warns of possible exposure
VA Implementing National Safety “Step-Up”
VA clinic warns of possible contaminant exposure
Some Vets Possibly Exposed to Infection
VA Clinic Warns Of Possible Contaminant Exposure
VA clinic warns of possible contaminant exposure
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