Contaminated needle prosecution

September 28, 2009

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Intravenous news: The New York Times report “A former hospital surgical technician who may have infected dozens of surgical patients with hepatitis C by stealing their pain medication and swapping back needles tainted by the virus she carried pleaded guilty on Friday to federal drug charges.

The woman, Kristen D. Parker, 26, who could have faced up to life in prison on the most serious charges, accepted a 20-year prison sentence in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Ms. Parker admitted guilt to multiple charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit.

Twenty-seven patients at two hospitals where Ms. Parker worked last year and this year, in Denver and Colorado Springs, have tested positive for a strain of hepatitis C and have been linked to her care, according to state health records. Hepatitis C affects liver function and can have lifelong consequences.”

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