[Is there a risk of transmitting hepatitis by gastroduodenoscopy?]

Among 211 patients undergoing gastroduodenoscopy five had been carriers of Australia antigen. The same instrument had been used on all, and follow-up examination was carried out two and four months after the gastroscopy. Twelve patients died during the follow-up period of their original disease. Two additional patients became Australia-antigen positive. One of these had liver cirrhosis. In the other, surgery with multiple infusions of albumin had been carried out after gastroscopy and could have been the cause of the Australia-antigen transmission. No proven case of hepatitis transmission occurred in this group of patients.