« Back to site home page

Letter to Hydraulic Fluid Facts Web site visitors, July 2005

A message welcoming site visitors to hydraulicfluidfacts.dukehealth.org from Dr. Michael Cuffe, vice president for medical affairs at Duke University Health System.

Dear site visitors,

As you may know, in late 2004 surgical instruments at two of our hospitals were accidentally exposed to hydraulic fluid before being sterilized. Our first and foremost responsibility is to our patients—past, present, and future—and we have created this site to establish a central location where you can easily access accurate, up-to-date information regarding this incident.

We take great pride in delivering the very highest level of medical care to all our patients and regret deeply the concern that this incident has caused our patients, their families, and the communities we serve. As we trust the information in this site conveys, patient safety is and will remain our number-one priority, and your health and well-being is of utmost concern to us.

We hope that you find this information helpful, and we will continue to post the latest news we have on the situation on this site. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at 919-286-3232, ext. 223.

Sincerely,

Michael Cuffe, MD
Vice President for Medical Affairs
Duke University Health System