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Cost Versus Risk-Single-Use Versus Reuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2009

Diane Gilmour
Diane Gilmour
Affiliation:
Theatres Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
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Extract

In July 2001 nine year old Tony Clowes died after suffering brain damage during preparation for minor surgery, following a cycling accident, when an anaesthetic tubing became blocked with a foreign body. At the enquiry it emerged that the tubing had been used on other patients despite being labeled for single-use only. A year later police ruled out “foul play” and concluded that the tragic death was a “freak accident”. This was one of many such incidents being investigated by police at the time and resulted in national and nursing media frenzy concerning the reuse of single - use equipment. (Gallagher 2002; Kenny 2002; Mahoney 2001) The debate was further fuelled by the withdrawal of single - use tonsillectomy instruments as they posed a greater danger to patients than the theoretical risk of spreading variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (CJD), the purpose for which they were originally introduced. (Gallagher 2002)

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Anaesthetic & Recovery Nursing , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , May 2003 , pp. 18 - 21
Copyright
Copyright © British Association of Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing 2003

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References

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