Las Vegas Center Reports Improper Disinfection Methods

A Las Vegas surgery center has reported itself to the Nevada State Health Division, the Southern Nevada Health District and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for improperly disinfecting instruments used in procedures.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the staff at Specialty Surgicare of Las Vegas, also known as Specialty Surgery Center, realized during a recent maintenance inspection that the disinfection cycle on the machine that cleaned the scopes used in colonoscopies and upper-endoscopy procedures was set at a time below the manufacturer’s recommendations.

This comes on the heels of the hepatitis C outbreak at another area endoscopy center earlier in 2008 that prompted some 50,000 patients, physicians and staff to get tested for hepatitis strains B and C, and HIV. Authorities say there is minimal risk to the center’s patients, however. To read the complete news item, CLICK HERE.