Denver dentist reused dirty needles
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- Published: Friday, 27 July 2012 15:51
- Written by News Editor
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Colorado (USA) state health officials have warned thousands of patients of a Denver-area dentist to get tested for HIV and hepatitis after it was revealed that he reused dirty needles on patients for 12 years. According to local reports. Dr. Stephen Stein used the same IV syringes to put different patients to sleep during surgeries conducted between September 1999 and June 2011. |
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"Needles and syringes were used repeatedly, often days at a time," the department said on its website. "Because there can be a small amount of blood that remains in syringes and needles after an injection through an IV line, there is a risk of spread of bloodborne viruses, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, between patients."
The health department urged some 8,000 of Stein's former patients to get tested, including those who only received local anesthetic shots from the dirty doc, even though officials don't believe those patients are at risk. No infections have been reported so far however.
Dr Stein is not practising at present.
Methods of practice in UK mean that dentists always have a trained, registerecd nurse with them, who is mandated to "whistleblow" should any action of this nature occur even once.
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