Noteboom The Law Firm

Contaminated Colonoscopy Equipment Leads To Miami VA Lawsuits

March 2, 2011 - The Miami Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center is being sued. More specifically, they have 45 lawsuits currently pending against them due to the hospital performing colonoscopies with contaminated equipment and exposing veterans to such diseases as HIV and hepatitis. Once the proper paperwork is filed, however, there will be at least another 113 lawsuits directed at the Miami VA because of their botched colonoscopies.

The VA has recognized VA medical centers in Miami, Tennessee, and Georgia could have used contaminated equipment in their colonoscopies between 2004 and 2009. In that time frame, approximately 11,000 veterans received colonoscopies between these years in these locations. Miami is home to just over 2,500 of those 11,000 veterans found to be "potentially at risk for infection." Of those veterans at risk in Miami, 5 have shown to be HIV positive, 8 tested positive for hepatitis C, and 1 for hepatitis B. Despite saying some veterans may be at risk for infection, the VA denies the existence of anything connecting contaminated endoscopic equipment with infections. 

There is not one single cause of this situation, but a mix of several unfortunate events. Contributing factors include inadequate training, lack of supervision, personnel performing procedures for which they were not qualified to perform, and equipment populating operating rooms that never underwent mandatory VA approval processes.  

Adding insult to injury, the VA botched notifying at-risk veterans as well. Sixteen months after their initial letters telling veterans to come in to be tested, they discovered they had not included every at-risk veteran. Six months later they realized there were still more veterans they failed to notify. This entire time any of these veterans could have been infected with a potentially lethal disease such as HIV, placing themselves and their families at risk. While there are many unknowns, one thing most people can count on is there are many more lawsuits to come.