Dr. Harvey Finkelstein an able Long Island anesthesiologist, or an incompetent idiot? Well, I'll leave the judging up to you, but here's the scoop:
6 hepatitis B cases and 6 hepatitis C cases have showed up among Dr. Finkelstein's patients, each of which has been linked back to Dr. Finkelstein's faulty needle technique. Previously Dr. F had been found to have infected at least one other patient by plunging needles into medicinal containers more than once...thereby contaminating the medicine.
Case and point: watch out for the parenteral spread of such infections, even in places where you least expect it.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--at-riskpatients1206dec06,0,6160551.story
becca
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I posted this at most of the sites about this same story but am posting here too because it seems that NO ONE IS LISTENING!
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Well now that so many of you have expressed your outrage at the doctor (we might never know the *real* story) I would like to challenge you to learn a little bit about Hepatitis C! Don't misunderstand as I am also appalled that this could have happened in this supposedly enlightened day and age of universal precautions. Perhaps all this happened (sadly) so that more of you might get educated about Hepatitis C! It is reaching epidemic proportions in our country and most people don't know the differences between Hep A, B, C, D, E and G.
Hepatitis C requires a blood to blood transmission. It is the most common chronic blood borne virus in the U.S. today. There are an estimated 5 million Americans with Hepatitis C (FIVE times more than HIV) Bet you didn't know that! Only about 1 million know they have it. It is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. 2/3 of patients will die waiting for a liver transplant because there are not enough organs to go around (please sign your donor cards!)
You should be tested for Hepatitis C if you:
* received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July 1992
* were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C.
* have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented only one time many years ago (or snorted any drugs)
* were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987
* have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis
* have had tattoos or body piercings
* had sexual activity that involved contact with blood
* have had vaccinations administered with pneumatic jet injectors
* are a veteran (especially Viet Nam)
* have shared razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, tweezers, etc. with an infected person
* are a health care worker exposed to needle sticks or first responders
* also 5%-10% of babies born to infected mothers will get Hepatitis C
* have ever been incarcerated
Doctors do NOT test for Hepatitis C on annual physicals or routine exams. You have to ASK TO BE TESTED!
You do not have any symptoms that damage is being done until the latter stages of the disease and that can be from 10 to 40 years! There are treatments for Hepatitis C that are 45-80% successful depending on your genotype.
There are an estimated 4 million of you walking around with it that don't know you have it and can be inadvertently spreading it. Whether at the beauty salon where an HCV+ person was nicked and then you were nicked with the same instrument (Hep C does not die when it hits the air unlike HIV) and can live on surfaces for up to 4 days plus.
Ignorance is not bliss.
Know your Hepatitis C status!
GET TESTED!
Would you feel guilty if you found out you were in fact positive and might have put other people at risk over the years?
Please GET TESTED for HEPATITIS C! It is a simple blood test and can be added to your routine tests the next time you see your doctor. Just ask him/her to add it! Take care and be your OWN advocates.
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