Fallout continues after a former surgery technician allegedly stole a syringe in Colorado and replaced it with another substance. Now patients in Washington state are being told they are at risk.
Rocky Allen, 28, was charged with stealing and swapping a syringe at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo., back in January. He pleaded not guilty. At the time, the hospital warned more almost 3,000 patients they should be tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C due to potential contamination.
Prosecutors now say Allen has moved from hospital to hospital in the past, stealing drugs along the way. He has been fired by at least four medical centers, according to a recent report by the Associated Press.
Northwest Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, Wash., and Lakewood Surgery Center in Lakewood, Wash., have announced they are informing patients who had surgery in early 2012 they were potentially in an operating room with Allen. The hospitals are alerting more than 1,400 patients overall.
“We characterize the risk to any patient as low, in part because we don’t have confirmed evidence of (a drug) diversion at Northwest Hospital,” James Apa, a spokesman for the Seattle-King County Public Health, said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.