Crisis news gets worse

Thursday, April 3, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

An interim report released by health inspectors contains more stomach-turning allegations against the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.

In addition to the reuse of syringes as well as vials of anesthesia clearly labeled for one use only practices all but confirmed as having caused the hepatitis outbreak announced in February the report cites evidence of other unsanitary practices.

Reviews of records and interviews with former staff members of the now-closed center suggest that biopsy forceps also labeled for use on a single patient were reused.

Additionally, devices called bite blocks, which are placed in a patient’s mouth during upper endoscopies, were reused, according to evidence cited in the report.

The report was authored by the Outbreak Investigation Team of the Southern Nevada Health District. The team is continuing to work on a complete report of the Endoscopy Center’s role in the hepatitis crisis.

Hampering the work, however, are incomplete, confusing or misleading records kept by the center. This is preventing investigators from establishing a definitive sequence of events on key days.

For example, on Sept. 21 the day when five patients are suspected of being exposed to hepatitis C at the center the report says records show that “on four separate occasions an individual doctor was performing two procedures at the same time.”

Interviews with former employees provided more insight. One told investigators that only four bite blocks were allowed “per day per procedure room despite the number of procedures performed.” Another told of quitting after one day of work, after complaining to no avail about equipment reuse and inaccurate record-keeping.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Marshall Allen asked a prominent local gastroenterologist, Dr. Frank Nemec, about his reaction to the interim report. Nemec said he was “totally disgusted.”

We certainly agree. Forty-thousand former patients of the center were advised to get their blood tested after February’s announcement, and people’s faith in health care has been compromised. What must come out of this are strong new regulations and a commitment by the state to hire enough qualified health inspectors to enforce them.