Duke Medical System Hydraulic Fluid
Health Complications Resulting from Improperly Cleaned Surgical Instruments
HYDRAULIC FLUID USED TO CLEAN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
From early November until late December 2004, at least 4,000 patients in Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina were exposed to toxic chemicals during surgical procedures resulting from the mistaken use of hydraulic fluid in the sterilization process instead of hospital detergents.
The two hospitals belonging to the esteemed Duke University Health System recently notified over 4,000 patients that they may have been operated on with contaminated surgical instruments. The health system has determined that a Durham elevator company emptied hydraulic fluid into several empty detergent drums while performing maintenance at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital in mid-September, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The result of this mix-up: for almost 2 months instruments were washed with a solution of hot water and hydraulic fluid. The problem was discovered only after hospital staff and surgeons noticed their operating tools were slick and oily.
Duke has warned 2,300 patients treated at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital and 1,600 patients at Durham Regional that they might have come in contact with improperly-cleaned instruments.
Patients treated at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital between Nov. 4 and Dec. 30 may have been exposed; Durham Regional patients seen between Nov. 24 and Dec. 22 are also at risk. Signs of infection include fever, pain and redness at the site of the incision.
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