Clinic Patients Face Scare After Staff Reused Syringes

2,700 patients of an Alberta, Canada clinic are facing HIV and Hepatitis screening after a manager at the High Prairie hospital discovered some staff had been routinely reusing syringes in patient IV lines. Such practices had been going on for as long 18 years.

New needles were used, but attached to used syringes containing medication vials filled with enough medication to cover several people undergoing endoscopy or dental procedures in a given day. When the needle was withdrawn, there was a chance some blood and contaminated medication could come up the IV line into the syringe, and then infect the next patient needing the medication.

The correct practice - and the one put in place at the facility after the problem was discovered Oct. 2 - is to have separate syringes with separate medication vials for every patient.

"We want to reassure the public that care provided in our facilities is safe, and the risk to this group of patients in High Prairie is very low." according to Dr. Albert de Villiers, officer of health for Peace Country Health.