Salem Hospital in Massachusetts announced on Wednesday that hundreds of patients may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The hospital said that exposure occurred while patients undergoing an endoscopy were administered IV medications "in a manner not consistent with [their] best practice."
An endoscopy is a procedure that involves inserting a long, flexible tube called an endoscope into your body to look inside. The hospital said that they were made aware of the incidents earlier this year, and they have "corrected the practice." They also explained in a statement that they "have determined that the infection risk to patients from this event is extremely small."
"Salem Hospital has notified all potentially impacted patients, set up a clinician-staffed hotline to answer questions, and we are providing them with free screening and any necessary support." the hospital said in a statement. "There is no evidence to date of any infections resulting from this incident."
