Reprocessing of Dental Instruments John Cochran Division of the St. Louis VA Medical Center St. Louis, Missouri. Healthcare Inspection

摘要

The VA Office of Inspector General Office of Healthcare Inspections received a request from Congressman Bob Filner, the then Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Congressman Jeff Miller, current Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and seven other members of Congress, calling for an inspection into reports that veterans in several states including Missouri could have been exposed to blood borne pathogens such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while receiving dental care at the John Cochran Division (JCD) of the St. Louis VA Medical Center (STLVAMC), St Louis, MO. The purpose of this review was to determine the sequence of events involving alleged improperly cleaned and sterilized dental reusable medical equipment (RME); errors in reprocessing or sterilization; actions taken to correct deficiencies; and decisions related to patient notification of breaches in dental equipment reprocessing or sterilization at the STLVAMC.