Health District to Notify Patients About Potential Disease Transmission From Reused Needle Guides

The Southern Nevada Health District is coordinating with the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners to identify patients who underwent prostate biopsies conducted by Dr. Michael Kaplan during the period from Dec. 20, 2010 through March 11, 2011. A joint investigation conducted by the Board of Medical Examiners and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation found Kaplan reused endocavity needle guides, which are single-use-only medical devices, while performing some of these biopsies.

At this time, no known cases of disease transmission have been identified as a result of this infection control breach. However, based on the current information, and in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has been determined that a patient notification is warranted. The health district will conduct a formal notification once the process of identifying patients who underwent the procedure is completed and recommendations based on the ongoing investigation are finalized. In the interim, patients of Kaplan who underwent a prostate biopsy during the identified period of time are encouraged to speak with their personal physician about any concerns they may have.