Plastic surgery clinic patients may have been infected

SEATTLE -- The Washington State Department of Health is attempting to notify at least 415 patients who frequented Spokane's Aesthetic Plastic Surgical Center between 2005 and April 11, 2013.

During a licensing inspection, the Department of Health discovered the staff had been using syringes multiple times and vials of medication intended for single-use application may have been used more than once. The department is concerned that such practices could have put patients at risk for infection, including hepatitis B and C and HIV.

The department cited the clinic and in a statement, said that the clinic developed a plan to correct the unsafe practices and it was immediately implemented. However, since an infected person could pass an illness on to another person through contact with blood or other body fluids, anyone who was at the clinic during the dates mentioned above is asked to contact their doctor or the Department of Health Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology at 206-418-5500.

The Department of Health did say that the risk of infection is low and treatment is available.

A press representative for the clinic disputed the health department's claim and in a statement said the "clinic has never used the same syringe on more than one patient. ...Additionally, the clinic has never improperly used single or multi-dose drug vials. The vials are only either used on the same patient multiple times and then discarded or they are used on up to three patients, but each time the vial is entered only with a new, sterile syringe.  This is the approved medical standard of practice and does not expose patients to any infection control risks."

The statement also said the health department's findings were inaccurate due to a misunderstanding they conducted with a clinic technician.

The Spokesman-Review reported the department delayed notifying the public while reviewing how to contact patients, spokesman Tim Church said. Church also told the paper the department felt the clinic would be the most appropriate entity to contact patients, but it refused. The health department is sending letters to patients, but it does not have contact information for every patient the clinic served, and some may have moved or changed their phone numbers since their surgery.

More information is available at the Washington State Department of Health website.

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