Health Department Confirms Possible Exposure To HIV & Hepatitis At Vanderbilt Hospital

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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Davidson County Health Department officials confirmed that some patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center could have potentially been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

According to spokesperson Matthew Peters, the department was notified of “inappropriate practice” related to endoscopy care at VUMC which had led to the possible spread.

“We investigate every positive case of HIV and Hepatitis in Davidson County, working to find where that person might have contracted the infection and who they might have exposed since being infected. We use this information to determine who else might be at risk of infection and need(s) to be tested,” Peters stated. 

John Howser, spokesperson for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the hospital is reaching out to any patients they believe may have been exposed.

In the last six months, Howser stated, less than 4% of endoscopy patients were affected. They have not released a total number of individuals who were exposed.

VUMC release the following statement regarding the exposure:

“We recently discovered an issue in how a solution was administered through endoscope during a limited number of endoscopy procedures in the gastroenterology lab at Vanderbilt Clinic. We immediately corrected the issue in the lab and reported it to the Tennessee Department of Health. We are in the process of notifying patients, and have connected with nearly all by now who had an endoscopy procedure in this lab and may have been affected.”