Administrative investigation to be performed at San Pablo Hospital following use of expired pacemakers

SANTIAGO.- Another administrative investigation has been scheduled to take place within the Health sector.  The Director of Health Services for Coquimbo, Ernesto Contreras, has decided to apply the measure to the San Pablo Hospital after it was reported that 23 patients were treated with expired pacemakers.

One of the patients affected, 68 year-old Lina Fernández, explained that a cardiologist informed her that her pacemaker was expired and said that it could not be changed.  “She said it was not the battery, but rather the cover that contains the pacemaker and that was what was expired and said that were had been exposed to contamination”, Fernández told Radio Cooperativa.

According to Jorquera, the situation has not had any significant effects on the patients, who are currently receiving follow-up examinations in order to make sure that there are no problems and that everything is working smoothly.

The director added that a hospital team is examining the patients and said that, for now, there have been no cases of patients whose bodies rejected the pacemakers, although internal control has been tightened to prevent such situations from occurring again.