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Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly

News & Notes

Tip of the week Are red-bag wastes, sharps, recyclables and unshredded sensitive paperwork routinely ending up in your regular trash bins? Line those ...

InstaPoll: Do You Check Your Work E-Mail on Vacation?

Be honest: When you're on vacation, do you feel compelled to check your work e-mail 2 or 3 or 4 times a day? Or do you manage to leave it all behind...

N.Y. Hepatitis Outbreaks Linked to Propofol Reuse

An investigation into a pair of hepatitis outbreaks in New York City has revealed that the same anesthesiologist was responsible for spreading 6 cas...

Archive > August, 2009 Vol. X, No. 8

Scrubbed and Stoned

A look inside the shocking story of how a surgical tech's addiction to fentanyl put thousands of patients at risk for hepatitis C infection.

Daniel Cook, Managing Editor

Kristen Parker lurks in the OR, watching over her shoulder as the anesthesiologist leaves the room. The 26-year-old surgical tech is alone. Finally. It's been several days between scores, too many hours since she's masked the pain of a failed relationship with the father of her young son. In a quick, practiced stroke, she swipes a fentanyl syringe from the anesthesia cart, replacing it with a needle full of sterile saline solution that she had hidden in her scrub pocket. No one will ever know, she convinces herself, already looking forward to her lunch break, her next opportunity for a quick hit of sweet relief.

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