Seattle Children's hospital again closes some operating rooms because of mold
Seattle Children’s has closed three of its operating rooms because of the same fungus that forced the shutdown of all the hospital’s operating rooms earlier this year. The hospital is also looking into two new infections caused by the Aspergillus mold.
The mold was discovered during a routine air test conducted Sunday, according to a Children’s news release Monday, which said, “We are deeply sorry for the impact the air quality issues in our operating rooms continue to have on our patients and families. Seattle Children’s remains committed to doing what’s right to keep our patients safe.”
Children’s closed four operating rooms May 18 and shuttered the remaining 10 on May 24 because of Aspergillus. The rooms were reopened July 4.
The hospital struggled with the fungus last year, when three surgical patients became ill from the mold and one of them died. Three more patients became sick after being infected by the mold earlier this year. The patient who died was infected in 2018 but died this year. Children’s reported the death to the state Department of Health (DOH) on May 20 — the date the hospital also reported the mold was present in four of its operating rooms.
Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/seattle-childrens-hospital-again-closes-operating-rooms-because-of-mold/
