Siouxland Urology Associates - Response to Lawsuit Allegations

Siouxland Urology Associates - Response to Lawsuit Allegations

Dakota Dunes, S. Dakota, August 12, 2009. Siouxland Urology Center today reported the results of its free blood testing program to the South Dakota Department of Health. The testing revealed no evidence that hepatitis was transmitted patient-to-patient, and no cases of HIV were found at all. In cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Health, the Center offered its cystoscopy patients free blood tests out of an abundance of caution to determine whether any patients contracted a blood borne illness as a result of prior cystoscopy procedures.

Of the over 3900 patients tested, a small number of patients tested positive for hepatitis, as was expected due to normal occurrence rates in the general population. Sixteen patients (0.4%) tested positive for hepatitis and had no known history of hepatitis at the time of their cystoscopy procedure. All patients have been notified of their test results.

"Our first priority is the health and well-being of our patients, and we want to be sure that any patient that is positive for the hepatitis virus is obtaining the appropriate medical care," said Dr. John Wolpert, a Siouxland Urology Center physician.

The Center's cystoscopy procedure did not cause the transmission of hepatitis to any patient. The Center conducted extensive review of the medical records and blood test results of cystoscopy patients treated before and after patients who tested positive. The review revealed no evidence of patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis as a result of the cystoscopy procedure.

Another 12 patients who tested positive for hepatitis disclosed their status to the Center prior to their cystoscopy procedure. Medical records and blood test results also confirm that none of these 12 patients transmitted hepatitis to any other Center patients during their cystoscopy procedures.

From the beginning, the Center has said that its prior cystoscopy procedure -- which at all times was mindful of sterilization and sanitation issues -- was safe and effective, and had been commonly used across the country by other urologists. As a precautionary measure, and at the request of the South Dakota Department of Health, Siouxland Urology Center changed its cystoscopy procedures in January.

Siouxland Urology Center also worked in coordination with the South Dakota Department of Health in notifying patients of the availability of free blood tests, administering the blood tests, and in its processes for data analysis.

"The blood test results and medical record data reported to the Department of Health provide a welcome confirmation of what we believed from the beginning, that there is no evidence of the transmission of infection due to our procedures," said Wolpert. "We provided more than 3900 blood test to our patients at no charge because we care about our patients and it was the right thing to do."

###