Health Waikato looks into four 'serious incidents'

By AINSLEY THOMSON

Health Waikato has investigated serious incidents including the re-use of internal medical equipment and a swab allegedly left inside a patient after surgery.

The organisation's serious-event panel has met twice this year to discuss four cases in the region's hospitals.

They involved the death of a patient; an endoscope - an instrument used to look inside the stomach and the bowel - being re-used on more than one patient; a swab possibly being left inside a patient; and a patient assault on a staff member.

The organisation, which runs Waikato Hospital, would release few details about the incidents, stating that the Medical Practitioners Act expressly prevented it from doing so.

Spokeswoman Karen Bennett said the endoscope incident involved one patient, who was not harmed.

Ms Bennett would not comment on whether the patient had to undergo tests for infectious diseases which can be passed on by internal medical equipment that is not properly sterilised.

In 1999 Canterbury Health recalled more than 1300 patients and advised them to have tests for HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis after discovering that a machine used to disinfect endoscopes had malfunctioned.

In another case, Health Waikato is unsure if a swab was left inside a patient. An investigation was inconclusive. A standard swab-counting procedure has now been adopted.

As a result of a patient death, which the organisation would not release details of, protocols have been put in place to ensure better communication between Health Waikato and other New Zealand hospitals when handing over acute or complicated cases.

Registrar medical staff must inform consultants when their patients' conditions deteriorate.