Health care providers in the Portland, Oregon, area said Thursday that 2,400 patients should get blood tests because an anesthesiologist may have exposed them to HIV as well as hepatitis B and C in recent months.
In a statement, Providence Health said that it “recently learned that Providence’s comprehensive infection control practices may not have been followed by a physician during some procedures” at several hospitals, including Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center, and “other non-Providence hospitals.”
The individual who was allegedly responsible is a physician previously employed by the Oregon Anesthesiology Group, said Legacy in the statement. The unnamed person is no longer employed by Oregon Anesthesiology Group and the company is no longer contracted by Providence, it said.
Providence said in its statement that the physician “might have put patients at a low risk of exposure” to hepatitis B and C as well as HIV for 2,200 patients who were seen at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center. Two patients seen at Providence Portland Medical Center were also exposed, it said.
As a result, the medical group said that the potentially affected patients will receive a letter with more information, but it encouraged those patients to get a blood test to determine whether they were infected with hepatitis or HIV “out of an abundance of caution,” and “at no cost,” according to the statement.
“If a patient tests positive,” the statement said, “Providence will reach out to discuss their test results and next steps.
“Patient safety is our number one priority, and our patients have our full commitment to a thorough review of this issue and appropriate action.”
Oregon Anesthesiology Group, a third-party contractor, said in a statement Thursday that the unnamed physician is no longer working for the company. The firm said that it has implemented new protocols and procedures to prevent future events.
Another 200 people may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-transmitted infections at Legacy Health, another Oregon health care provider, officials told local media on Thursday. The Epoch Times has contacted Legacy Heath for comment Friday.
Legacy said it is in the process of sending letters notifying 221 patients “who may have been impacted,” adding that it “immediately suspended” the provider after learning of the situation.
“Our community should know that this was an isolated situation involving a single provider, contracted with the Oregon Anesthesiology Group to provide care at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center for approximately six months beginning in December of 2023,” the group said in a statement to local media.
Providence Health operates 52 hospitals and more than 1,000 clinics across multiple West Coast states and employs more than 120,000 staff, it says. Legacy Health operates six hospitals, a children’s hospital, and other clinics in Oregon as well as southern Washington state in the city of Vancouver, located near Portland, according to the company’s website.
In a statement, the Oregon Health Authority, a state agency, confirmed that the “infection control breach” occurred at the Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center. The agency said it is not aware of any cases of HIV or hepatitis B or C associated with the situation.
The investigations into the situation is centered “around a health care provider who provided care during medical and surgical procedures requiring intravenous (IV) anesthesia at the hospitals during different periods with unacceptable infection control practices, which put patients at risk of infections,” the Oregon health agency said.
The agency also confirmed it is working with Legacy and Providence on “their investigations of breaches of infection control practices.”
Symptoms
Some general symptoms of hepatitis B and C include jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes; fever; loss of appetite; dark urine; joint pain; stomach or abdominal pain; nausea; vomiting; and diarrhea, according to health officials.The symptoms of HIV can vary depending on the individual and the phase of the virus.
Within two to four weeks after being infected with virus, HIV can cause a flu-like illness that may last several days to several weeks. Some possible symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, join pain, rash, sore threat, mouth sores, swollen neck lymph nodes, weight loss, night sweats, cough, and diarrhea, officials say.
Known also as human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, if left untreated, can lead to a weakening of the immune system over the years and becomes AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
