Las Vegas Endoscopy Clinic Lawsuits
May 12th, 2008 • Filed Under: Lawsuits • 3 Comments
Thousands of patients who were treated at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center may have been exposed to Hepatitis C and other serious infections. Dangerous and unsafe medical practices between March 2004 and January 2008, including re-use of syringes and single-use vials of medication, have caused at least 85 people in the Greater Las Vegas Area to develop hepatitis C.
STATUS OF LAS VEGAS CLINIC LAWSUITS: Cases are being reviewed for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C or AIDS after treatment at the Las Vegas clinics.
OVERVIEW: In January 2008, it was discovered that physicians and staff at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center were re-using syringes on multiple patients and using single-doses vials of anesthesia during multiple procedures. The negligent and unsafe medical practices exposed as many as 50,000 people in the Greater Las Vegas area to a risk of hepatitis C, AIDS and other diseases.
Both clinics are run by the same two physicians, Drs. Dipak Desai and Eladio Carrera. They have lost their license to practice medicine in Nevada and face hundreds of lawsuits from former patients who have been diagnosed with diseases spread by the re-use of needles or blood-to-blood contact.
As of May 2008, health officials have confirmed at least 85 cases of hepatitis C linked to treatment at the Las Vegas endoscopy clinics. In addition, over 300 other individuals treated at the clinics have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, but health officials have been unable to rule out other potential causes.
HEPATITIS C OUTBREAK: Hepatitis C is the most common injury found as a result of the medical practices at the Las Vegas endoscopy clinics. The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread blood-to-blood contact and can infect the liver. The infection can cause liver inflammation, fibrotic scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.
Symptoms of acute Hepatits C can include:
- Fatigue
- Loss of Appetite
- Joint Pain
- Itching
- Flu Symptoms
Pingback by Las Vegas Endoscopy Clinic Cases of Hepatitis-C Reaches 85 — AboutLawsuits.com on 12 May 2008:
[...] Las Vegas endoscopy clinics engaged in dangerous and unsafe practices, including the re-use of syringes and vials of anesthesia [...]
Pingback by Hepatitis Scare Claims Allowed in Las Vegas Clinic Class Action Lawsuit — AboutLawsuits.com on 24 July 2008:
[...] District Judge Alan Earl, who is presiding over a class action lawsuit filed over unsafe medical practices at two Las Vegas endoscopy clinics, ruled Tuesday that claims for emotional distress made by patients who have not actually been [...]
Pingback by Las Vegas Hepatitis Cases Linked to 2 Clinics is 114 : AboutLawsuits.com on 24 October 2008:
[...] there are 114 cases of potentially fatal hepatitis C virus identified among patients treated at two Las Vegas endoscopy clinics which were shut down earlier this year due to dangerous and unsafe medical [...]