C.A. Dean notifies patients of cystoscopy instrument cleaning procedure error

    GREENVILLE — Through internal check-and-control systems, Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Northwoods Healthcare in Greenville have discovered a potential concern in how scopes used to conduct cystoscopy, a urological procedure, were disinfected. This discovery was made during a routine internal evaluation on Oct. 31, according to a press release from Eastern Maine Healthcare.

    C.A. Dean self-reported the matter and a review ensued. The United States Center for Disease Control and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention strongly encourage patients to contact their healthcare provider to be tested, despite the small risk of exposure.
    C.A. Dean CEO Geno Murray said that 76 patients underwent the procedure between Sept. 9, 2011 and Oct. 25, 2013, which is an examination of the bladder and urethra.
    The patients are all being notified and will be offered free screening. Murray said steps are being taken to ensure something like this does not happen again. These include mandatory staff retraining, reviewing and adjusting policy, improvements to the procedure area and adhering to the manufacturer’s guidelines, which recommend a pre-cleaning of the scope prior to disinfecting.
    Urologic patients with questions or concerns should contact C.A. Dean to schedule follow-up testing at no charge. A dedicated phone line for patients and family members has been set up at 349-0933.