VA inspector general finds potentially dangerous conditions at D.C. hospital

April 12 (UPI) -- The chief watchdog for the Department of Veterans Affairs is investigating potentially dangerous conditions at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Michael J. Missal, the agency's inspector general, issued a rare preliminary report Wednesday to alert patients and the public to "imminent danger" at the VA facility.

The report identified "a number of serious and troubling deficiencies at the Medical Center that place patients at unnecessary risk."

Among the deficiencies cited in the report: expired medical supplies, a shortage of needed surgical equipment and lack of equipment to help patients during a medical emergency.

For example, in recent weeks the hospital's operating room ran out of vascular patches to seal blood vessels and ultrasound probes used to map blood flow.