The MilitaryTimes reports that the Air Force Academy notified 267 patients they're at risk for several infectious diseases after they were treated with improperly processed endoscopy equipment.
Here's what you should know.
1. The patients were treated at the school's clinic and in the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System.
2. The patients all had either colonoscopies or endoscopies between the months of June through September. The endoscopes in the procedures were sensitized but were incorrectly processed during the pre-cleaning protocol.
3. Infection risk is low but "not zero," Air Force Academy command surgeon Col. Walter Matthews said.
4. The academy is offering free testing for a number of possible diseases including infections, HIV and hepatitis.
5. All 19 scopes were examined after the lapse was discovered; they were free of infectious disease.
All the procedures are now on hold as staff undergoes retraining and recertification.
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