EL PASO, Texas (AP) _ Army officials in El Paso say 16 patients exposed to a mismanaged insulin needle program have tested positive for hepatitis C.
The William Beaumont Army Medical Center patients were among more than 2,000 diabetics who may have been exposed to blood-borne illnesses. The time frame is between August 2007 and January 2009.
Lt. Col. Sandy LaFon says it’s unclear if the infections came from the improper insulin injections or were previously undiagnosed infections.
The scare is related to an insulin pen system meant to allow a patient to use the same pen several times. The pens were inadvertently used multiple times on different patients.
A new sterile needle was used for every injection. But health officials say the pens contain a reservoir of insulin and blood could be transmitted from the needle to the remaining insulin.