you want Government ran health care... welcome to what you wished for

VA hospital flooded with calls about hepatitis, HIV

BY FRED TASKER
ftasker@MiamiHerald.com

Worried military men and women flooded Miami Veterans' Hospital telephone hot lines Tuesday after Monday's announcement that improperly cleaned colonoscopy equipment might have exposed them to hepatitis and HIV.

The hospital received 2,662 telephone calls, and 351 veterans visited VA clinics in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, said Dr. John Vara, the Miami VA's chief of staff.

On Monday, the VA disclosed that water pumps connected to tubes used in colonoscopies and endoscopies were being rinsed between procedures, but not disinfected as required by manufacturer's specifications.

Vara said Tuesday it means there is a ''very small but more than negligible chance'' the veterans could have been exposed to viruses that cause hepatitis and HIV.

Asked what happened, Vara said: 'I can't say for sure. There are manufacturers' recommendations about how things should be handled. Not infrequently in health care it may not be implemented in quite that way. Somebody may have an opinion or some scientific evidence that they don't believe that is necessary. I can't tell you in this case exactly what happened, but it became standard practice.''

The problem in Miami was discovered after the national VA instituted a ''step-up'' investigation after similar incidents at VA clinics in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga.

In Miami, 3,260 veterans had medical procedures since May 2004 using the faulty procedure.

Patients with concerns may call the Miami VA's call center at 305-575-7256 or 877-575-7256.

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