HospitalInspections.org

Based on observations during tour and staff interviews, the hospital's nursing staff failed to maintain the facility in a manner to ensure an acceptable level of safety and quality by failing to ensure expired medical supplies were not available for patient use in Emergency Department treatment rooms.

The findings include:

Observations during tour of the Emergency Department on 03/30/2011 at 0900 revealed trauma rooms #1 and #2. Further observations revealed one or more of the following expired medical supplies being stored inside of cabinets/drawers/carts within the trauma rooms:

01. Arrow Twin Catheter 18/20 (intravenous access device), expired 05/2008;
02. Alaris INT (intravenous access port) site, expired 08/2008;
03. Resuscitation Ace ETCO2 (end tidal carbon dioxide) detector, expired 10/2008;
04. Percutaneous Sheath Introducer kit, expired 10/2008;
05. Portex ProVen ABG (arterial blood gas) kit, expired 11/2008;
06. Blue top blood specimen collection tube, expired 01/2009;
07. Bact/Alert PF Blood Culture bottle, expired 02/28/2009;
08. Bact/Alert SN Blood Culture bottle, expired 02/28/2009;
09. Yellow top blood specimen collection tube, expired 08/2009;
10. Purple top blood specimen collection tube, expired 11/2009;
11. Thoracentesis Tray with catheter, expired 11/2009;
12. Lazarus-Nelson Peritoneal Lavage Tray, expired 01/2011; and
13. Melker Emergency Cricothyrotomy catheter set, expired 01/2011.

Interview during tour with the Emergency Department Director revealed a staff member is assigned to check the expiration dates of medical supplies every other month. Interview revealed the hospital does not have a policy on checking expired medical supplies once placed into treatment rooms from the clean supply room. Interview revealed their is no check list or log to verify if staff members check for expiration dates. Interview confirmed the expired medical supplies were available for patient use. Interview confirmed the expired medical supplies should have been removed from the trauma rooms prior to the manufacturer's expiration date printed on the labels.

NC00071679