Too many colonoscopies?

[Fred]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&ncid=751&e=11&u=/hsn/20050329/hl_hsn/colonoscopytoomuchofagoodthing

Are MD's recommeding them too often? :huh:

[plutosgirl]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&ncid=751&e=11&u=/hsn/20050329/hl_hsn/colonoscopytoomuchofagoodthing

Are MD's recommeding them too often? :huh:

I knew before I read this that reimbursement must be really good on them.
Also, a lot of celebrities have started coming out about them raising awareness.

[voyergirl]

i need to come back and read this later.......

[Southern_Yankee]

:banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe



Officials at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville are alerting about 200 patients who underwent colonoscopies between Oct. 28, 2004, and Feb. 26 about a problem with disinfection of the instruments used in the procedures.

The risk of infection to the patients is extremely low, they said, but the patients are being encouraged to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing at Forbes as soon as possible. Patients can call a toll-free hotline, 1-877-854-5450, for information or to schedule the free testing.

The disinfection problem concerns two recently purchased colonoscopes -- the long, flexible fiberoptic tubes used to visualize the inside of the patient's rectum and large intestine. Lab staff at Forbes recently noted that an unused auxiliary channel within the colonoscopes may not have been adequately disinfected during routine processing.

Only those patients who underwent procedures with those specific colonoscopes are being notified for testing.

Similar sterilization issues have arisen previously in New York and California in regards to this model of scope, which is manufactured by Olympus America Inc., the hospital said. "To date, to our knowledge, there have been only a few instances of hepatitis transmission documented among these cases and no reports of HIV transmission," Dr. Jennifer Rudin, chief of infectious diseases at Forbes, said in a statement released by the hospital.

[sadic1]

Fred, if you stop dressing up, going to the doctor, and asking for them, they'll stop giving them to you.