Anesthesiologist Allegedly Infects Patients with Virus Hepatitis C Virus

"Just count to ten, and when you wake up, you won't remember a thing."

Most of us are familiar with similar words spoken by our anesthesiologist just before a surgical procedure. According to the Associated Press, what the patients of a New York City anesthesiologist didn't remember was perhaps contracting Hepatitis C from the speaker of those reassuring words. Although authorities will not reveal his or her name, insisting that the anesthesiologist has done no wrong, AP reports that the health officials did contact 4,500 people who had been treated by the doctor in clinics all over the city. At least three of these patients who had been given anesthesia by the doctor were infected with the Hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C is a treatable blood-borne virus which can severely damage the liver. The virus is rarely transferred during medical procedures, but the health department is investigating, and the doctor has voluntarily stopped practice until the results are in. People who have contracted Hepatitis C may have no symptoms, but they may also experience yellow eyes and skin, body aches, lack of energy, and dark urine.

The doctor has had a medical license since 1977 and has worked in ten different clinics in New York. Health authorities say they want to be cautious, and therefore, will try to contact all of the doctor's patients by letter so that they can be tested. This scare comes on the hills of another hepatitis transmission in a dental procedure back in May. At that time, Reuters Health reported that Hepatitis B was transmitted from one patient to another through oral surgery procedures. Infection control procedures were followed in this case also, but somehow the Hepatitis virus was transferred. Some in the medical community find these cases troubling because they indicate that there may be aspects of the transmission of blood-borne diseases that are still not understood.

Source: The Associated Press, "3 Hepatitis C Cases Linked to NYC Doctor," ABC News 15 June 2007.

URL: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3281876

Source: Reuters Health, "Hepatitis Spread to Patient In Dental Office," ABC News