Twenty-seven patients at Swedish Medical Center-First Hill Campus in Seattle may be at risk for Hepatitis and HIV after medical officials learned ultrasound probes for prostate procedures were not properly sterilized, according to a Seattle Post Intelligencer report.
John Vassall, MD, CMO of Swedish Medical Center, said the risk of infection is very low since the probes were covered with a sheath, which eliminates contact with the patient, according to the report.
A three-step cleaning process normally takes place for medical devices: cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing. The last sterilization step was left out of the process, according to the report.
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