Up to 6,000 exposed to hepatitis at hospital

Worker swapped dirty syringes for ones filled with a narcotic, officials say

Health care videos

Drug makers offset decreases with price hikes
Nov. 16: Playbook: Big Pharma is promising to support Washington’s health care plan by cutting $8 billion a year off drug costs, but last year they raised the wholesale price of brand-name prescription drugs nearly nine percent, that would add more than $10 billion to the nation’s drug bill. Wendell Potter, former Vice President for Corporate Communications at CIGNA discusses.

Blaming Obama for reform failures

Obama stumps for reform

Free clinic helps uninsured in New Orleans

FDA challenges alcoholic energy drink makers

INTERACTIVE

Dose of reality
Do health care reform headlines leave you saying “huh?” Visit msnbc.com's guide to health reform and send us claims you'd like fact-checked.

updated 3:32 p.m. ET July 3, 2009

DENVER - A former surgery technician may have exposed thousands of Colorado patients to hepatitis C when she swapped her own dirty syringes for ones filled with a powerful narcotic, federal authorities said Thursday.

Kristen Diane Parker faces criminal charges for allegedly making the swaps while working at Audubon Ambulatory Surgery Center in Colorado Springs and Rose Medical Center in Denver.

Authorities say Parker admitted to changing out syringes containing a saline solution with ones filled with the painkiller Fentanyl. Parker injected herself with the drug, according to a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

An affidavit by Mary F. LaFrance, an investigator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, says at least nine surgery patients at Rose have tested positive for hepatitis C, which is incurable. About 6,000 patients are being advised they may have been exposed and need to be tested.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne disease that can cause serious liver problems, including cirrhosis or liver cancer. The illness is treatable, but there is no cure. Symptoms can include nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, pain and jaundice.

Rose Medical Center officials told a news conference Thursday night they were working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to determine whether Parker was the source of the virus.

It could not be determined Thursday night whether Parker had an attorney.

Click for related content

Doc at center of VA cancer probe admits errors
NYT: At VA hospital, a rogue cancer unit
Unsterile equipment used on Miami veterans

Parker worked at Rose from Oct. 21, 2008, until April. Hospital officials say she was suspended April 13, before they learned of the cases, and then fired. She had failed a drug test by testing positive for Fentanyl.

Parker went to work for the Audubon surgery center shortly after being fired. She worked there from May 4 until Monday, Dr. J. Michael Hall, Audubon's medical director, told The Gazette in Colorado Springs.

If convicted of tampering with a consumer product and other charges, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine on the most serious charge of tampering.