Reusing Syringes “Common Practice” at Las Vegas Clinics

If what you discribe in this article is true, it is criminal neglegence. Anyone involved in this should be prosecuted. It is not as if Physicians and other health care professionals don't know the potential harm here.

This is horrible! My mother took a test for this about a year ago and now all of this comes out, how could they commit such a hanous crime? This is absolute monstrousity and the people behind this should be prosecuted to the full extent of their crimes!

Is it possible to give the death penalty to those responsible for such irresponsible behavior? What a horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE injustice they have done.

And to give them life imprisonment for a crime that cost so many people their lives, is far more of an injustice.

SHAME ON THEM.

I wonder if the State of Nevada has an anonymous hotline to report medical malpractice. I bet they don't. I am a clinical ethicist. I know that medical staff are often left with no alternatives for reporting such violations. To whom does one turn when there is no one to turn to? I can almost guarantee you that none of the staff have had any medical ethics education or refresher training.

I think this testifys to the need to increase wages of nurses and technicians who are Americans so that we do not wave citizenship and immagration laws to get Phillipino and East Indian medical personell over here to fill an ever increasing gap. Nursing homes are filled with personnel that lack the upbringing and moral education available to USA students.

Sue Beata, that was one of those most racist thing I've heard. If both of these doctors later on were found to be American trained what of it? It doesn't matter where they're from- it is the doctors and the managements fault for failing to comply or train the staff in OSHA and clinical practices. Even the most basic Medical Assistant course at a local community college teaches you about syringe and needle handling.

These poor people were given a death sentence. Not only will they have to fight the corrupt syndicate called the health care system, but now they, and their families, will have to live with the stigma that gays and drug addicts go through, every day.

On February 19 2008 my wife had a colonoscopy procedure done at the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center. Having read some of these articles I am thoroughly disgusted and suspect that the problem of cutting corners to increase profits is much further reaching than any lay person can really imagine. I suspect that this not just one facility. It is just one that got caught. I suspect we are talking "Corporate" decisions here since the people investigated told investigators they knew it was wrong but that the decision to cut corners to increase profits came from administrators and management. Most of my paperwork from February 19 lists multiple facilities affiliated in one way or another with this one including the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. If the decisions came from above as stated, is it not logical that all facilities under that jurisdiction would have received the same set of instructions. We also signed a document indicating that the attending doctor who never really showed up for the surgery had a financial interest in the facility and in my mind is therefore also suspect in the decision to cut corners in the interest of profit. This does need to be looked into but by whom. Had it not hit the press, does anyone out there really believe state government would be digging into it? I think not. Whose on our side people? Nobody.

Government that governs LEAST governs BEST. That is why it no longer inspects our meat, our medicines, our voting machines, our military expenditures, and so on, and so on, until most of us are sick to death of it. After years of Reagan, and Bush 1 and The Dummy, this country is almost unrecognizable as the United States. We condone the torture prisoners, deny healthcare to children, imprison foreign teenagers without charges, give billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest corporations and their owners, strangle the education system, abuse destitute immigrants, invaded an innocent country to steal its resources, and worse, all in the name of The People. I am glad my ancestors can't see what is going on here today. They would want someone HUNG by the neck until dead.

just sickening, really. as a resident of las vegas i now have to worry every time i take my children to see a doctor, or even see a doctor myself. i suggest everyone get tested whether they were treated there or not. even when you feel protected against things like that you arent. it really is sad when you can't even trust the people that are supposed to be helping you. my heart goes out to all of those infected.

I had a procedure done in the fall of 2006 - at the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center - Now I have to worry if I'm infected - and to find out that they were just cited for reusing cleaning solutions in the colonoscopy tubes is aggregious to say the least. That is totally disgusting. Now I have to worry if I've been exposed to hepatitis C, B and Aids? I not only hold the clinic, the owners, the doctors responsible - but the nurse practitioners - who should have known better than to reuse the equipment. Just because they were following instructions doesn't exonerate them. They also knew better - and which is more important - saving a job or saving a life - They all should be cited for attempted homicide - wreckless endangerment - and they should pay for all the stress and testing and disease management that this practice incurred.

Well, if you've been to this center you've been warned, because you know that you've been exposed to infected blood (through the multi-use vial of sedative). But the rest of us, who've been somewhere else, who've had other procedures done, don't know what we might have been exposed to and when. The rest of us are just trying to see what other corners are being cut where and what disaster is waiting to happen.

It's the problem with mixing business with care. There's an inherent conflict and business will always win because people are genetically programmed to be optimistic. Therefore the "it'll turn out ok" idea will always win (in enough people's minds) that unsafe practices will creep in unless prohibited by regulations.

In fact, this clinic may have not wanted to cut this particular corner (I don't know the particulars of their decision-making process). They might have decided that it isn't safe, but discovered that their competitors were cutting this corner and they couldn't compete if they didn't cut it too. I've seen it happen (not in health care, I don't consult with health care companies).

Or they may have been first, have discovered that by cutting this cost they had a cost advantage over their competitors and could grow and profit by exploiting this cost advantage.

That's why "health care providers" should be somewhat insulated from the marketplace. "Best practices" should be patient related, not profit related. And limitations on malpractice awards should definitely be related to limitations on health care provider profits (let's get real here, folks -- if you want caps on "non-economic" damages, then you'd better put caps on your greed, too).

Because this facility knowingly and purposefully committed this CRIME against their patients, they
should be charged with "murder" since many of these
patients will DIE!

Hello All-

I believe it bears repeating here. Taking your health into your own hands is possible with information. But you have to speak up! Insist on single vials. Insist that you see a fresh needle AND syringe. In the case here, fresh needles and syringes wouldn't help because the vial was contaminated! So the single vial is very important. Insist on all three! After a scare like this, it is not at all unreasonable to INSIST that your insurer cover the extra cost.

In the last two years, the FBI has investigated various food safety recalls to determine whether criminal negligence was present. In light of that fact, how much more does the FBI need to warrant an investigation of these clinics, given that 40,000 people possibly have been exposed to HIV, Hep B, Hep C?

What happened to these people who were treated at this facility is atrocious, however, we cannot forget all the other people who have come incontact with these patients. Family members, co-workers, and/or those who have had unprotected sex with these patients. Usually when someone is diagnosed with these illnesses, they make you fill out a form with the personal information of anyone you have had close personal contact with in the hopes of letting others know they might be infected. 40,000 people in 4 years have been treated at this facility by medical professionals who should have known better. Imagine how big that number grows when you factor in who the patients themselves might have unintentionally infected.

This is Scary.

These "Doctors" should loose their license to practice medicine FOREVER! This is unexcusable.

This is unacceptable but it happens more than anyone likes to think. I used to work in a Dentist office on Madison Ave, Ny where people will pay big bucks to see a Doctor I was the Doctors assistant and when ever he was away on vacation I would have to go through every drawer and tidy up well imagine my horror when i discovered blood encrusted matrix band holders these things are meant to be disposed of and he was saving them gross! I showed the receptionist and then trew them out! A week later he asked me for those very ones while a patient was in the chair I pretended not to have seen them imagine that he probably would have used them. I should have reported him but I was young at the time. I used to order the supplies for him and the cost of a dozen matrix band holders was about $4.00 at the time wow put peoples health at risk for that real petty. He also used to dig through the drawer with dirty gloves to get instruments while the patient was in the chair.

One of my best friends lives in Las Vegas and she informed me about the tragedy that they are going through right now. As a health official I am deeply saddened how this horrible act was practiced for so long and no one took the initiative to come out and say something. We as Americans put way too much trust in out health care system and for something so tragic to happen in this country makes me sick to my stomach. My sympathy goes out for all persons affected by the harsh and cruel treatment from that sickening clinic.

I'm wondering if whistleblower protections for people who report bad practitioiners is not a bad idea.

It appears that most people are reluctant to speak up for fear of losing their jobs.

If the state is serious, it would offer some protections to these folks. Federal whistleblowers actually get a percentage of whatever is recovered. Whether financial or job protection, something should be available for people who have a conscience and want to do the right thing.

This is really sad. I am actually about 12 years old and I was looking this up because my older sis told me about this just yesterday and I had remembered that I went to a clinic on Shadow Lane but Im scared if that's one of the clinics. I heard that one of the clinics were on Shadow Lane. I had went there last year for flu shots and Im worried if I have hepititas. I told my closest friends and now they're freaked out too, and they're now worried about me.(sigh)I... just want to be ok.

Who ever reads this please believe that every person in that facility that knew those syringes were being reused and equipment not cleaned properly are equally responsible. FIRST DO NO HARM....Sound familiar? I mean housekeeping up to the CEO!

Just let put some serum or plasma with infected liquids in the blood system of this doctors. Lets infect them with several types of hepatitis and hiv and revoke their licence and let themm root in a 3 x3 foot cellar until their soul bleed out everything.
or lets feed the dogs with their flesh.