Duke Medical System Hydraulic Fluid
Hydraulic Fluid News
Hydraulic Fluid Used instead of Detergent in Duke Surgical Tool Sterilization
Two Duke University Medical System hospitals - Duke Health Raleigh Hospital (www.dukehealthraleigh.org) and Durham Regional (www.durhamregional.org) - mistakenly used hydraulic fluid instead of detergents to sterilize surgical instruments in November and December of 2004. Over 3,800 patients received letters informing them of their possible exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
The Duke University Health System has a history of medical excellence and ranked #6 of 6,012 American hospitals in last year’s US News’ ‘Best Hospitals’ of 2004 (www.usnews.com/usnews/health/hosptl/tophosp.htm). Duke is consistently amongst the top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, has ranked amongst the top 10 health care providers in the country for the past 11 years in a row by the US News & World Report, and is home to more physicians listed in the ‘The Best Doctors in America’ (www.bestdoctors.com) than any other medical institution in the Southeastern United States.
The Duke Health Raleigh Hospital and Durham Regional hospital are under media fire after at least 3,800 patients who underwent surgical procedures between November 4 and December 30, 2004 were exposed to improperly cleaned surgical instruments. A local North Carolina elevator company, Automatic Elevator, dumped used hydraulic fluid into about a dozen empty detergent canisters, most of which were marked ‘Mon-Klenz,’ the brand name of the detergent used by the hospitals to clean surgical instruments in the sterilization process.
A series of mistakes followed, including those same barrels being picked up by the detergent company, Cardinal Health, which redistributed them back to the two Duke hospitals. Two barrels were shipped to a third hospital – Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. – but those barrels were not used according to a spokesman at the state Department of Health and Human Services.
HensonFuerst (www.lawmed.com), a well-respected North Carolina injury lawyer firm, has been airing media ads urging those 3,800 people whom received letters alerting them of their possible exposure to used hydraulic fluid during surgery to contact their offices immediately for a free and confidential case evaluation.
Duke has recently announced that they have sent out samples of the fluid to be analyzed to determine potential risk to exposed patients. The hydraulic fluid, known as 32 AW and manufactured by Exxon, could pose a serious health threat to patient health. According to a safety data sheet from Exxon, injection of the fluid should be considered a “surgical emergency.”
On June 20, 2005, Duke issued letters (www.dukehealth.org/news/9099) to the exposed patients which focus solely on the infection issue, but they have yet to say anything about the possibility that the patients may have been contaminated by a potentially hazardous substance.
The lawyers at HensonFuerst, are presently attempting to obtain a sample of the fluid to have independent testing done by a third party laboratory. Our lawyers believe that this is a critical step in getting test results that are unbiased and independent on behalf of our clients. After such independent testing, the lawyers at HensonFuerst will work with clients to better understand the potential risks of infection, contamination and exposure to the hydraulic fluid.
As additional information is revealed, the HensonFuerst team of hydraulic fluid injury lawyers continues to pursue the many details and developments surrounding this case. Our lawyers have been featured in a wide variety of stories regarding the Duke Health Systems hydraulic fluid mix-up including such prominent news organizations as: ABC News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN, Fox News, The Los Angeles Times, The News & Observer, USA Today, The Washington Post and numerous other regional and national news outlets.
Who Is At Risk For Hydraulic Fluid Injury?
Free Consultation
If you or someone you know was treated at either the Duke Health Raleigh Hospital or the Durham Regional Hospital between November 4 and December 30 of 2004, contact a North Carolina injury lawyer at HensonFuerst immediately for a free and confidential case evaluation.
This law firm is not affiliated with, sponsored by or associated with the Duke University Health System, the Duke Health Raleigh Hospital or the Durham Regional Hospital.
