Patients at risk of HIV infection after "error" at Royal Gwent Hospital
According to the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, the issue affects 21 patients, all of whom have now been contacted.
Last updated 2 hours ago
A small number of patients at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport have been notified they were exposed to an "extremely low risk" of HIV following a sterilisation mistake involving medical instruments.
The incident occurred in late February during orthodontic procedures, when equipment that had been disinfected but not fully sterilised was used before the error was discovered.
According to the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, the issue affected 21 patients, all of whom have now been contacted and are being offered further testing and support.
An investigation is underway, and the Health Board says "measures have been put in place to prevent a repeat of the error".
Anyone with concerns is being encouraged to contact the Royal Gwent Hospital for more information or reassurance.
The Health Board said: “Our statement on the incident is below for you.
“Following an issue affecting the sterilisation of a very small number of medical instruments at the Royal Gwent Hospital, we are taking precautionary steps to support the 21 patients affected.
“Although the instruments completed the initial cleaning and disinfection stages, they did not go through the final sterilisation phase.
“We have already contacted the patients affected and want to offer our sincere and heartfelt apologies for the worry this situation may cause. While the clinical risk of “Blood‑Borne Virus exposure is extremely low, we have arranged precautionary testing and support to give full reassurance.
“We fully recognise the concern and distress this may cause, and we are truly sorry. The wellbeing of our patients is our highest priority, and we are taking all necessary actions to understand how this happened and to prevent it from occurring again.
“We also understand that others may feel concerned on hearing about this. We want to reassure all patients that this was a very limited incident, those affected have been contacted directly, and there is no wider cause for concern.”