Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD, is a degenerative neurological disease that is incurable and always fatal. CJD may lie dormant for years before manifesting symptoms similar to those found in dementia patients. However, once symptoms manifest, life expectancy is reduced to a matter of months, if not weeks. There are no reliable tests to rule in or rule out whether a patient has CJD. However, it is known that the disease can spread through the use of surgical instruments that are improperly sterilized. Novant Health d/b/a Forsyth Medical Center just disclosed the fact that 18 patients were exposed to CJD when the very instruments that were used in their procedures were also used in the procedure of a patient they knew or should have known may have had CJD, the diagnosis of which was later confirmed. Forsyth Medical Center owes their patients a duty to keep them safe from harm. There are clear guidelines from the World Health Organization with respect to the proper handling of surgical instruments used on patients afflicted with CJD which were not followed by Forsyth Medical Center. Now, there are 18 patients that must live the rest of their lives wondering if they have this fatal disease. If you are one of the 18 patients that received the letter from Forsyth Medical Center notifying you of your exposure to CJD, please contact me to discuss your options.
If you have potentially been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, contact the Law Office of Kevin J. Williams, PLLC, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at (336)793-8459 to discuss your options. You may also use the contact form to send an e-mail.
