Seattle Children’s Hospital has temporarily shut its main operating room so as to remove mold that was identified in various rooms, a month ago. The experts are investigating the ‘air quality issue.’

According to the Seattle Times reports, on May 18^th, 2019, the Seattle hospital identified particles of Aspergillus mold across many operating and facility storage rooms.

Kathryn Mueller, the Spokeswoman, mentions the Seattle hospital has adopted enhancement and executed them based on external expert suggestions and now making necessary modifications to the air-equipment device.

Kathryn Mueller did not specify for how long the main operating room will be closed. She said that the Seattle Children’s hospital was initially closed four operating rooms but has already closed another 10 operating rooms.

She mentions the danger to surgical patients is very less. However, the hospital communicated with patients who might have been affected.

Mueller stated in the email,

Aspergillus is a common mold often present in the air we breathe. However, in rare instances, it can cause complications for surgical patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, Aspergillus mold may reside inside or outside and most number of people in-hale it every-day without falling ill.

However, people with the weak immune system are at a greater risk of getting infected in the lungs or may have sinus problem because of mold.

Numerous anesthesiologists and surgeons are gaining more information to carry operations across other hospitals in Seattle.

This move of the hospital comes within a few months when the children’s hospital discovered mold in four of its operating rooms and they temporarily shut it down. The hospital consists of a total of 14 operating rooms.

The detail information about the ‘air quality issue’ was not available.

When external industrial hygienists evaluated the air quality in May, they discovered ‘deficiencies in its air handlers’, Mueller stated.

Seattle Children’s hospital took numerous steps to enhance, Mueller informed, the hospital moved to an advanced and purified air handler, deployed new humidification system, blocked important sources of air leakage within operating rooms, purified all the places affected for numerous times and deployed new cleaning techniques, for instance, one that utilizes ultraviolet light to sanitize surfaces.

She mentioned in an email,

Seattle Children’s is committed to maintaining a safe environment for our patients. We are sorry for the impact the air quality issue in our operating rooms has had on our patients and families, and we are taking this situation very seriously.

Patients and their family members can easily contact the Seattle Children’s Hospital at 206-987-2550 if they have any queries.

However, surgeons of Seattle Children’s hospital are carrying few operations on the main campus. Most of the operations were shifted to Harborview Medical Center, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, the University of Washington Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center, Mueller informed.