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Endoscopy patients at Salem Hospital “were potentially exposed to infection due to the administration of their intravenous medication in a manner not consistent with our best practice,” the hospital said in a statement to the Daily Voice.
The patients were potentially exposed over two years.
It all started with one contractor, who no longer works at Salem Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Salem Hospital said it self-reported the incident to the state Department of Public Health, which agreed with the hospital’s evaluation that the infection risk was an extremely small portion.
The lawsuit, filed by Ketches Law Group on behalf of the patients, is against Mass General Brigham, Salem Hospital, and 10 hospital employees.
The class action claims that the hospital and its staff were negligent in their policies and procedures of administering IV medications, which could mean life-long health issues for the patients. The lawsuit also claims patients suffer “severe and permanent emotional distress.”
The hospital explained, however, that there is no evidence to date of any infections resulting from this incident.
Health officials said they were testing for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, which are standard tests for a potential exposure of this kind.
There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but there are no vaccines for hepatitis C, according to the CDC.
The hospital’s practice of administering IVs has since been corrected.
“The safety of our patients is our highest priority, and we have undertaken multiple corrective actions in response to this event,” the hospital said. “We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted, and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community.”
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