Women's and Children's Hospital

In reply to Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (25 May 2016).

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries): The use of clean, but not sterilised syringes used during paediatric cerebrospinal shunt surgery at the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) involved 16 patients between August, 2013, and April, 2016. Out of these 16 patients, there were six children that had the clean syringe used more than once; however, this did not increase the infection control risk to these children.

The increased potential risk of harm from a clean, but not sterile syringe is regarded by the medical specialists to be low, due to administered antibiotics acting on any contamination and a demonstrated reduction in the infection rate at WCH since a new protocol was adopted, in August, 2013, to reduce the rate of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections. Also, the overall shunt infection rate at WCH, as supported by empirical evidence, compares favourable to published international rates. Shunt infection is a known risk in all shunt surgery, with consent clearly articulating this.