Miami Herald - October 6, 2009
John Dorschner, jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com

Broward General Medical Center administrators announced Monday they are taking immediate action to investigate whether a nurse's misuse of saline bags and tubing exposed more than 1,800 cardiac patients over five years to blood-carried diseases such as hepatitis and HIV viruses.

In a news release issued late Monday, the hospital said the nurse, who was not identified, has resigned and the hospital has reported her to the Board of Nursing.

Hospital managers learned of the problem when someone reported seeing the nurse using the same saline bag and tubing more than once when giving intravenous fluids to patients undergoing chemical cardiac stress tests.

Supervisors are now determining whether the practice put patients at risk for exposure through infections carried by blood. The review is for patients handled by the nurse from January 2004 through early September 2009 -- the length of the nurse's employment at the hospital.

The problem is reminiscent of one earlier this year in which more than 10,000 patients of VA hospitals in Miami, Georgia and Tennessee were told they had been given colonoscopies with equipment that had been improperly cleaned. The cases involved several cases of hepatitis and HIV.

James G. Thaw, chief executive of Broward General in Fort Lauderdale, said in a prepared statement: "This is an individual's unacceptable practice that once discovered was immediately corrected. We at Broward General Medical Center understand that this is alarming and may be frightening but want to assure our patients we will assist in every way possible."

The hospital did not offer an explanation on how an employee could have continued a dangerous practice for five years without being noticed or admonished.

The hospital said it has consulted experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health and the Broward County Health Department.

Broward General said it has identified 1,851 patients who received cardiac chemical stress tests administered by the nurse, sent them letters by certified mail informing them of the situation and is providing a 24-hour hot line for further questions.

The hospital is urging the patients to get tested for hepatitis B and C and for HIV viruses. LabCorp will do the testing at no cost to the patients.

The hospital noted that patients who had undergone regular stress tests, done on a treadmill, are not affected by the nurse's actions.

Concerned patients were invited to call 800-545-5716.

Miami Herald staff writer Fred Tasker contributed to this article.

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