Seattle Children’s hospital recently revealed that one patient has died and five others have been infected by a potentially dangerous mold. The situation forced the medical center to immediately close all of its main operating rooms.
The hospital closed its fourteen main operating rooms after traces of Aspergillus mold was discovered on May 18 in several operating rooms (and had been there on and off for about a year) and equipment storage rooms. The mold led to one patient’s death and five other infections over the past two years, according to a statement from the hospital.
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Seattle Children’s public-relations manager Alyse Bernal wrote in an email about the incident:
“The six patients who developed Aspergillus infections were at higher risk of infection due to the types of procedures they had. We are deeply saddened that one of these patients died.”1
About 1,000 surgeries at Seattle Children’s have been postponed. Other surgeries have been moved to the cardiac catheterization facility on the hospital’s main campus in Seattle and its Bellevue campus. Most surgeries have been moved to Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.
Aspergillus is an ordinary mold that many people breathe in every day without problems. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in rare cases people with lung diseases or weakened immune systems could become sick from the mold spores. The patients at Seattle Children’s who were exposed to the mold were at higher risk of infection due to medical procedures they had, according to the hospital.
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The hospital initially contacted Seattle & King County Public Health Department, which, in turn, connected them with the CDC because the federal agency has more experience dealing with that type of mold. The agency carried out a three-day on-site review of the hospital. During the review, more than two dozen violations of hospital policy and federal regulations were uncovered, including failure to properly maintain the air filtering systems that were connected to operating rooms.
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On June 20, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) informed the hospital that they would terminate its Medicare contract if the violations were not corrected. Seattle Children’s has since put into action several changes. They have implemented a new cleaning process that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect surfaces, switched to an updated and sanitized air handler, sealed potential sources of air leaks in operating rooms, and installed a new humidification system.
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At a news conference on July 3, Seattle Children’s CMO Mark Del Beccaro, MD, said daily air-testing results showed the operating rooms were safe. The hospital reopened its main operating rooms July 4, although CMS has not yet approved Seattle Children’s plan of correction. A letter from CMS indicates they will terminate Children’s Medicare provider agreement on Sept. 19 if all violations aren’t corrected. The CDC issued no report after it determined Children’s was taking appropriate actions to investigate and address the problem.
