By Dan Israeli
Daines and Hannon, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, formed a panel with several medical experts from across the state on Jan. 30, to explore current guidelines, rules and recommendations regarding safe administration of medications from syringes.
Last November, it was reported that Dr. Harvey Finkelstein of Dix Hills had improperly injected a number of his patients between January 2000 to January 2005. Finkelstein, an anesthesiologist, went against health department regulations by reusing syringes containing multi-dose vials of a drug, and changing only the needles. State health department guidelines categorize syringes as single-use items that should not be used to administer the same drug to more than one patient.
As a result, hundreds of Finkelstein¹s patients needed to be tested for hepatitis C and B, as well as HIV. According to a health department report in December, preliminary testing of 133 of Finkelstein¹s patients revealed that two were positive for hepatitis C.
In January it was reported that obstetrician/gynecologist E. Jacob Simhaee had reused syringes with multiple-dose vials for several patients at his Manhasset office. Simhaee used the syringes to administer flu shots between September and December, according to the health department. No disease transmission cases have been reported.
Hannon said that two cases of improper syringe use were enough to open his eyes to the issue. "While it¹s not rampant, it still occurred too often," he said. "We should expect no less than for New Yorkers to feel confident that when they go to the doctor they will be treated effectively and safely."
Daines said that the health department has been hard at work improving its infection control practices. "The state health department is taking aggressive action, including a stepped-up investigation protocol, faster public health alerts, and reminding physicians of their responsibilities for infection control in their practices," Daines said. Since multiple-dose vials were the major factors in both recent cases in Nassau, Daines has asked the Food and Drug Administration to consider a full or partial ban on the packaging of drugs into such vials.
Hannon said that he urged hospitals and medical offices in the state to explore purchasing non-reusable syringes, a technology that is still being developed, and has shown some early flaws. "So far the mechanism is too easily defeated," Hannon said. "It¹s clunky." Until the technology is perfected, he said, it is important to enhance health care in New York and to preserve confidence in the health care system. "We are projecting a shortage of doctors," he said. "We are not trying to look at the doctors in these improper-use cases as evildoers. We are trying to look at the technology and ways to improve it."
Claudia Hutton, a spokeswoman for the health department, said that raising awareness with doctors, and making sure they are following proper protocol, is crucial. The notification time for patients at risk is also in need of improvement, Hutton said, after it took almost three years to alert Finkelstein¹s patients about their doctor¹s improper syringe use. Hutton noted that Simhaee¹s patients were alerted much quicker, within months of their visits, a sign of improvement.
In addition to pushing the FDA to reconsider its stance on multiple-dose vials, the health department is also looking to solicit data from other states and create an in-house panel on infectious disease, and is also preparing a report to the governor on how the department plans to further address infection control. The department is also looking to review its line of communication with the Office of Professional Medical Conduct, which receives treatment complaints from across the state. "We already investigate every complaint," Hutton said. "What we need is more open collaboration. We have to make it routine, not to interfere with each other, but to share information."
Comments about this story? Disraeli@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
