Prostate Biopsy at VA Medical Center

News Updates

May 1, 2006 (Update to the information below) – The Veterans' Administration has estimated that 27,000 veterans may have been affected by the failure to properly clean the prostate biopsy tool manufactured by B-K Medical. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating and the Veterans' Administration has asked B-K Medical to alert other government and private healthcare providers about the need to clean the prostate biopsy tool.

Thousands of veterans who underwent a prostate biopsy at VA medical centers around the country are being notified that they may be at risk. The stainless-steel guide to the biopsy needle (the B-K Biopsy Transducer) may have been inadequately disinfected from January 2003 to January 2006. That means that if a patient who received a prostate biopsy had HIV and/or hepatitis, those viruses could have remained in the steel guide, been picked up by the needle used for the next patient, and then infected that patient. Although the VA is claiming the risk was miniscule, the risk was there and now thousands of veterans are left not knowing if they have a deadly disease.

The following VA Medical Centers are notifying patients by mail and offering free testing:

Iowa: Iowa City
Maine: Togus
Minnesota: Minneapolis
Montana: Fort Harrison, Miles City
Nevada: Las Vegas
New York: Buffalo, Canandaigua
Ohio: Cincinnati
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
Oregon: Portland
Puerto Rico: San Juan
Tennessee: Tennessee Valley Health Care System- Nashville, Memphis
Wisconsin: Milwaukee

Prostate Biopsy at a VA Medical Center: Lawyer with Hepatitis Lawsuit Experience
If you test positive for HIV or hepatitis, a lawyer at Pritzker | Olsen, P.A., a nationally-recognized law firm, is available for a free consultation. You may reach us toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or fill in our online form.

Senior partner Fred Pritzker has over 29 years of experience and focuses his practice on complex medical and product liability cases. During that time, he has had significant experience with hepatitis lawsuits. He is currently lead attorney in a major product liability lawsuit involving victims from several states. In recognition of his achievements, other lawyers have selected him for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He has provided online information on medical and hospital malpractice and defective medical product lawsuits.

Links to Information about HIV and Hepatitis
The following links to information about HIV and Hepatitis are provided by the lawyers at Pritzker | Olsen, P.A. as a public service.

HIV Information:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): CDC fact sheet on HIV-2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): CDC fact sheet on HIV transmission
AIDSinfo: A service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which offers information on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research
CDC Portal Page: Portal to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information on HIV/AIDS
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Information on treatment of HIV/AIDS from the FDA, the regulatory body responsible for drug treatments

Hepatitis B Information:

Medline Plus: Information on Hepatitis B from the National Institutes of Health
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC): CDC portal page to information on Hepatitis B
The Hepatitis B Foundation: The only non-profit organization dedicated solely to the problem of Hepatitis B
The Mayo Clinic: Good, well-organized information on Hepatitis B provided by the Mayo Clinic

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