UPDATE: Hospital Responds to Botched Hep C Tests

UPDATE, 5:19 p.m.

Exeter Hospital tonight released the following statement on the botched hepatitis C test results for 24 people who need to be retested:

Exeter Hospital has begun collecting new blood samples from the 24 patients whose hepatitis C tests were unable to be processed by the state. The samples were drawn on the scheduled testing dates of Thursday, June 7th and Friday, June 8th, and were picked up from Exeter on Saturday, June 9th by the state’s courier. The state claims they did not receive the samples until Monday, which was too late for them to process.

The hospital is committed to determining, together with the state, why these samples were not processed within the required 72 hour timeframe, even though they were picked up from Exeter Hospital on Saturday by the state’s courier.

In an effort to avoid any future challenges with samples being processed over the weekend, the hospital will no longer collect samples for hepatitis C testing related to this outbreak on Fridays. This is to ensure that samples drawn by the hospital and delivered to the state’s courier will be processed within the required 72 hour timeframe.

The hospital recognizes that these patients are under significant stress. It is very unfortunate these patients have to come in for a second test because their blood samples were unable to be processed. We know the state is working diligently to respond as quickly as possible during this outbreak. Nevertheless, by working together we hope to ensure that no one has to go through this stressful process again.

Exeter Hospital will do everything it can to move to process these redraws as quickly as possible while supporting the patients and their families along the way.

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More than two dozen people are in limbo after their test results for hepatitis C related to an at Exeter Hospital were somehow botched.

One of those affected is Terry Murphy, a 63-year-old Exeter resident. He was one of hundreds of patients treated at the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab where the hepatitis C outbreak occurred – likely from a hospital employee who was medication from patients, state health officials have said.

Murphy submitted a blood sample to the hospital, but for some reason it was left untouched – and a nurse informed him he would have to submit another sample because the previous one was no good anymore.

Murphy said he's scared to death not knowing if he has hepatitis C – a chronic and potentially fatal liver disease that especially lethal in older people.

"I think about it day and night," he said. "The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous."

The hepatitis C outbreak has spread to at least 20 people. State health officials expect there will be more victims as test results come back. A criminal probe has been into the incident.

Exeter Hospital has been collecting samples from hundreds of patients and then sending them to a state labratory to be tested for hepaitits C.

Dr. Jose Montero, the state's public health director, said his department is looking into why 24 samples were left untouched. He said his department is working to make sure those people get retested properly.

An Exeter Hospital spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

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