Some Endoscopy Patients Potentially Exposed to HIV and Hepatitis at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Report Says

Oct. 14, 2024
Under 4 percent of endoscopy patients over a six month span may have been exposed because of a sterilization error.

Vanderbilt Medical Center has contacted certain patients to tell them that they may have been exposed to infections like hepatitis and HIV because a nurse did not properly sterilize equipment. FOX 17 has the news.

A woman who received a colonoscopy at the medical center allegedly received a call from Vanderbilt staffers over two months after the procedure to warn her of possible exposures.

Vanderbilt told FOX 17 that “less than 4 percent of endoscopy patients over the last six months may have been exposed but has not given a specific number yet.”

A spokesperson for Vanderbilt Medical Center issued a statement to the news station that the issue was “immediately corrected” and “reported…to the Tennessee Department of Health.” The issue was with how “a solution was administered through the scope during a limited number of endoscopy procedures at the Vanderbilt Clinic.”

About the Author

Matt MacKenzie | Associate Editor

Matt is Associate Editor for Healthcare Purchasing News.