Seattle Children's Hospital to close main operating rooms Wednesday amid mold problem
Seattle Childrens Hospital shuts down main operating rooms amid mold investigation
State and county health departments are investigating the latest instance of mold at Seattle Children's Hospital. The hospital has shut down all of its main operating rooms after air tests found Aspergillus mold in three of its 14 operating rooms and two procedural areas. It's the same mold that killed a child earlier this year and infected five patients. The hospital says a third-party industrial hygienist will inspect the entire air handling unit, including all filters. Crews will also clean and sanitize the air handler and deep clean all of the main operating rooms and core rooms. The operating rooms are expected to be closed for at least 5 days. The King County Department of Health says one patient was infected with the latest incident. The first incident was reported in June 2018 and the second incident was reported in May.
SEATTLE -- Seattle Children's Hospital says it will shut down all of its main operating rooms for several days starting on Wednesday to try and figure out where Aspergillus mold is getting in.
Over the weekend, air tests at the hospital found the mold in three of its 14 operating rooms and two procedural areas. The hospital confirms at least one patient is sick from mold exposure after being infected during surgery.
Aspergillus is a common mold often present in the air we breathe, but it can cause complications for surgical patients, as it did in May when the hospital revealed that one child died and five others were infected by the same mold.
The hospital said it fixed its air filtration system earlier this year. With the new contamination, it is now planning to close down the operating rooms for at least five days while crews check the system again and sanitize it.
Emergency surgeries will continue at an alternate site in Seattle Children's Hospital, and non-emergency cases could be delayed or sent to another hospital.
Patients and families can call 206-987-2550 or email family.feedback@seattlechildrens.org for more information.