VA Colonoscopy Case Begins in Miami

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The first Veterans’ Administration lawsuit claiming a military veteran underwent a colonoscopy with an unsterilized scope is underway in Miami. This is the first such trial after approximately 11,000 military veterans learned that their colonoscopy procedures had been performed with an improperly sterilized piece of medical equipment. The incidents occurred in 3 VA hospital, one in Miami.
The veteran, Robert Metzler, is claiming the unsterilized medical procedure has led to the contraction of hepatitis C which can lead to liver damage and cirrhosis. According to the Miami Herald, “The VA lawyer didn’t contest the idea that improperly cleaned equipment might have been used in colonoscopies at the VA hospitals in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga. That much was conceded in a report by the VA’s Administrative Investigation Board in 2009. The investigation covered the period of 2004 and 2009 when the scopes were improperly used.Gonzalez said Metzler tested negative for hepatitis in 2006, got the colonoscopy in 2007and was told he has hepatitis C in 2009.”

Kevin Dugan
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