Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., notified 575 patients after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health identified a serious lapse in protocol in the inpatient dialysis unit, according to NEPR.
Baystate Medical said there was nearly zero risk of infection, and is not recommending testing for most of the 575 patients, but the hospital will pay for the testing if the patient requests it. Testing would cover hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV.
Doug Salvador, MD, Baystate's vice president of medical affairs, said that while the machines were sanitized between patients, nurses occasionally forgot to change gloves while alternating contact between the patient and the dialysis machine.
"Because of usually a desire to multitask and take care of what the patient is asking for, and whatever needs to be done in the environment, you might not re-glove between every recommended instance that you should," Dr. Salvador told NEPR.
The DPH stated that while the risk of infection is low, the investigation into patient safety missteps at Baystate remains open.
According to Mass Live, DPH spokesperson Scott Zoback wrote in a statement, "DPH will continue monitoring the situation, and working to ensure patient safety standards are upheld at Baystate Medical."
In January, the health system announced that nearly 300 patients at Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield, Mass., may have been exposed to potential infection due to improper cleaning of colonoscopy equipment. These potential exposures occurred in 2012 and 2013 prior to Baystate's acquisition of Noble Hospital. Twenty-five colonoscopy patients have filed suit against Baystate Noble.