Olean General Alerts Patients to Possible Insulin Pen Reuse

[Northerner]

Olean General Hospital in Olean, N.Y. announced today that a careful internal review of hospital insulin pen use raised the possibility that their reuse may have occurred with some patients during the period from November 2009 to Jan. 16, 2013.

The hospital has not identified a single patient who ever received an insulin injection from another patient?s insulin pen. Hospital officials also emphasized there is no documentation at this time of the transmission of any bloodborne infections during the stay of any patient who received insulin from the pens during this period.

Nonetheless, hospital officials recommend, as a precautionary measure, that those individuals who received insulin from an insulin pen at Olean General Hospital during the time period be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. The letter to patients also recommends they be retested for HIV three months after their last insulin pen injection at Olean General Hospital and for hepatitis B and hepatitis C six months after their last insulin pen injection at the hospital.

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.co...s-patients-to-possible-insulin-pen-reuse.aspx

 

[trophywench]

Arrgghh.

There was summat similar with lancet re-use in care homes - once again in the US ISTR.

Another reason for every diabetic in-patient to hang onto his or her own devices and supplies - but hard if you're in ICU or something.

 

[Vicsetter]

Anyone heard of an insulin pen that does not allow you to re-use the needle, sounds very clever. Obviosuly not best practicee but I can't imagine a nova-type disposable pen passing contamination from one patient to the next anyway, sounds very odd.

 

[Northerner]

Anyone heard of an insulin pen that does not allow you to re-use the needle, sounds very clever. Obviosuly not best practicee but I can't imagine a nova-type disposable pen passing contamination from one patient to the next anyway, sounds very odd.

I don't know though, I had to return a faulty meter to Roche a while ago and you'd think that I'd been liberally coating it in anthrax on a daily basis given the decontamination instructions I was given! 😱

 

[Dory]

I don't know though, I had to return a faulty meter to Roche a while ago and you'd think that I'd been liberally coating it in anthrax on a daily basis given the decontamination instructions I was given! 😱

I had that too Northerner - the 'kill everything' wipes, the 'suitable for sealing radioactive material' plastic bag...!!!