Reusing Dirty Vials:

An Outrage At A Las Vegas Clinic;

What were they thinking at the Endoscopy Clinic of Southern Nevada? Reusing the same vials between March 2004 to January 11, 2007. What?! My question why did it take so long for the Nevada Health Authorities to even catch on? I mean we are roughly talking nearly four years here. Already there are several people who have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, and there's a chance for contracting HIV also.

Reusing any part of a syringe, or a needle introduces infection and germs into that person. Using a dirty vial that hasn't been properly cleansed can also introduce germs into a patients system. The rate of transmission can be as small as one percent and up. However, nobody wants to increase their chances of contracting HIV, Hepatitis C or any other communicable disease.

I have worked in the Medical field for nearly thirty years. I can not understand the oversight at this Las Vegas clinic. It was plain laziness in my eyes. From what I can make of it they either re-used the syringe by just replacing the needle for the next patient or they just didn't cleanse the vials with an alcohol swab before injecting it with a "new sterile needle attached to a new sterile syringe" (all of which are disposable the needles and syringes). All these steps are simple and only take a few seconds and is the difference in a patients welfare. What an outrage. I feel for the patients and their families who now have to suffer the consequences and complications of Hepatitis C and HIV. I surely hope that they bring malpractice suits against the clinic for such total disregard for their health and welfare.

for the video:
abcnews.go.com/Video