Officials from Broward said that a veteran nurse may have reused IVs bags contaminated with other patients’ fluids while administering saline solution for cardiac chemical stress tests. Although the nurse switched out the needle and part of the plastic tubing on the IV bags, the bag containing the saline was not switched, according to the report.
Officials at the hospital say that proper protocol is to switch IV bags for each patient. The nurse was placed on suspension and later resigned.
Letters were sent to around 1,850 patients who may have been impacted, asking the patients to immediately see a physician to get tested for hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS. According to the report, officials say the chance of blood backflow into the IV bags was low.
Read the report about the IV contamination at Broward General Medical Center.
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