Archive for the ‘Patient Safety’ Category
How Safe is Your Dental Office?
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
With the recent contaminations at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, patients are becoming concerned about the safety of outpatient procedures. In Las Vegas, six patients contracted hepatitis C, the most severe form of hepatitis, from the reuse of anesthetic syringes and vials. A man who was a hepatitis carrier has come forth and disclosed that he did in fact receive treatment at that endoscopy center just before the subsequent six patients contracted the disease, confirming the findings of the Southern Nevada Health District. Thus far, the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and three other clinics in Las Vegas owned by the same medical group have been closed for public endangerment.
Officials say that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Nobody knows how many illnesses may have resulted from this practice that has persisted since the days before AIDS and hepatitis B and C. In those days, nobody cared so much about a little cross contamination. So you might catch someone else’s cold. The needles were sterile of course, but the barrel of the syringe was reused for economy, and occasionally a little blood would back up through the needle, causing contamination of the syringe barrel. The medications, especially anesthetics, are cheaper in bulk vials, but entering that vial with a contaminated syringe could do the same to the whole vial.
I’m sure this notorious incident in Las Vegas has done a lot to clean up the act of many clinics across the country that may have been oblivious to the practices of their staff members, or were just trying to cut corners to save a buck, so it may have served some purpose. I’m equally sure this is the exception rather than the rule. The physicians I have known have been caring and conscientious and gifted clinicians, who would know better than to violate such a simple principal, so don’t let this incident prevent you from following through with your medical appointments.
As for the dental office, we use a system that makes it impossible to accidentally cross-contaminate anesthetic injections. Disposable needles are used and single-use carpules serve as disposable syringe barrels. No multiple-use vials are present. All instruments are completely sterilized in an autoclave, and everything else is either sterilized or disposable. Plastic covers are placed over the chair and headrest for each patient, so it’s as if nobody had been there before, and we have installed a closed, anti-siphon water system so you even have sterile water in the water-squirter!
Dr. Moulton’s article was published in the Desert Valley Times,
March 2008
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