Superbug forces Alberta hospital to shutYikes -- I'm surprised that someone from the equipment sterilization room didn't blow the whistle or that a surgeon didn't notice the contamination and sound off. Careless way to operate. Posted by DaveH at March 21, 2007 7:16 PM
Dirty equipment raises disease fear in Edmonton suburb Vegreville
Alberta health authorities have closed a Vegreville hospital to new admissions and most visitors after the spread of a bacterial-resistant superbug and the discovery that some patients may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis during surgeries performed with dirty tools.
The equipment sterilization room at St. Joseph's General Hospital was shut down Friday — though it was first directed to do so more than one month ago -- after a recent audit found bits of flesh and blood left on tools and inside scopes used to examine patients and take tissue samples.
Those tools weren't properly scrubbed and brushed inside and out before being sterilized, and were then used on other patients, inspectors discovered.
"We believe the risk is very low," said Dr. Gerhard Benade, the medical health officer for the East Central Health Region.
Fewer than one per cent of patients who had certain surgeries are at risk of having been infected by a blood-borne pathogen, he said.
We had a local hospital torn down and a new one built to replace it for just this reason. The stupid part of the story was that the surgical equipment- you might guess the most contaminated stuff- was then sold and shipped to hospitals in some 3rd world country. The hospital admin made a big deal about how they were supporting improved treatment wherever it was the equipment went, Africa I think, by selling them their castoff stuff.
Posted by: Nate at March 22, 2007 9:51 AM