Colorado Hospital Warns Of Possible HIV, Hepatitis Infections Among Former Patients

Anyone who had certain types of surgery at a Denver hospital over a nearly two-year period is at risk of infection, CNN reported. Porter Adventist Hospital in Colorado’s capital apparently had a lengthy period in which surgical equipment was not cleaned properly, meaning the hospital has notified former patients about the possibility of infection.

Based on the criteria at hand, the warning only applies to a specific subset of people who have had procedures done at Porter Adventist. Anyone who had spinal or orthopedic surgery at the facility between July 21, 2016 and Feb. 20, 2018 could potentially have contracted HIV or hepatitis B or C.

This stems from the fact that the “process for cleaning surgical instruments following orthopedic and spine surgeries was found to be inadequate.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment stressed that the possibility that anyone was infected is incredibly low and that they are not currently aware of any patient infections in connection with the breach.

The department last surveyed the hospital's infection control practices on March 28. A disease control investigation is ongoing.

HIV and those two strains of hepatitis are bloodborne diseases that can be passed when medical equipment is not properly maintained, or from the sharing of needles. There were 60 outbreaks of hepatitis in healthcare settings between 2008 and 2017, according to statistics compiled by the Center for Disease Control.

There was a similar incident at a health fair in Toronto in March. Up to 30 people were warned about increased risk of HIV and the same two hepatitis strains because the needle used at a blood glucose testing station was not properly switched out between patients.