Alberta Health Services is notifying 141 women who may be at risk of blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections after undergoing endovaginal ultrasounds at an Edmonton clinic.
A possible lapse in “cleaning and disinfection procedures” at the Regional Fertility and Women’s Endocrine Clinic at the Royal Alexandra Hospital occurred between Nov. 14 and Nov. 20, AHS said in a news release on Wednesday.
The patients being notified all underwent endovaginal ultrasounds, a procedure where an examiner places a thin, covered wand inside the vagina, and directs the probe toward the uterus and ovaries.
AHS described the risk of infection as “exceedingly low.”
Dr. Mark Joffe, AHS vice president and medical director for northern Alberta, is expected to provide more detail on the lapse during a news conference Thursday at 11:30 a.m.