A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that 68% of 68 ambulatory surgical centers studied exhibited at least one lapse in infection control practices. The infection control guidelines used examined five areas such as hand hygiene, injection safety, and environmental cleaning practices. 18% of the surgical centers studied had at least 3 lapses. This study is quite frightening in light of the fact that 75% of surgeries are now done an outpatient basis.
Infection control has been in the news a lot since the 2008 Las Vegas Endoscopy clinic exposed as much as 48,000 patients to Hepatitis and HIV. 28% of surgical centers in the JAMA article used single dose medication vials for more than one patient, an issue that was raised in the first Las Vegas Endoscopy case. Our firm has been working closely in this litigation since it’s inception.
If you or a loved one has contracted a hospital acquired illness, or fallen gravely ill after receiving treatment at an outpatient surgical center, Contact the lawyers at Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP to speak with an experienced attorney about your case.
