Thousands of patients treated at two Portland, Oregon, hospitals are being ordered to undergo blood tests because of an “infection control breach” linked to an anesthesiologist who may have exposed them to HIV and hepatitis B and C.
About 2,400 people who were patients at two health care providers — Providence and Legacy Health — may have been affected and have been advised to get tested “out of an abundance of caution.”
Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City said in a statement that about 2,200 of its patients, and two patients at Providence Portland Medical Center, have been notified.
“This physician’s actions may have reduced patients’ risk of exposure to potential infections, including hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),” a Providence spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said the possible exposure resulted from someone working for an outside contractor, the Oregon Anesthesiology Group, who worked at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center from December 2023 to May of this year.
The anesthesiologist, whose identity has not been released, is no longer employed by Oregon Anesthesiology Group, the company said in a statement.
The company said the tests would be offered free of charge. If a patient tests positive, Providence will contact you to discuss test results and next steps,” the statement said.
Legacy Health said it would contact 211 patients treated at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center who may have been infected. Legacy said this was “an isolated situation” linked to Oregon Anesthesiology Group.
“Upon becoming aware of this situation, we immediately suspended the provider and launched a comprehensive investigation in accordance with regulations and our policies and procedures,” Legacy said in a statement.
The Oregon Anesthesiology Group said in a statement that it had suspended the doctor after launching its own investigation.
“While the risk of infection was low, new protocols and procedures have been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the statement said.
NBC News has reached out to the Oregon Health Authority for comment.