Three Aurora hospitals postpone surgeries due to water-related sterilization issues

Three hospitals on the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora recently postponed surgeries due to water-related issues impacting their sterilization equipment.

Children’s Hospital Colorado postponed non-emergent surgeries through Tuesday out of an “abundance of caution” while hospital staff dealt with the issue that had reduced the facility’s sterile processing capacity since last week.

“This decision was made to ensure we have the capacity to sterilize the instruments and equipment needed for urgent and emergent cases,” said Rachael Fowler, a hospital spokesperson.

Staff at UCHealth’s University of Colorado Hospital on Thursday noticed tiny black flecks in some of their washers prior to sterilizing and after washing medical equipment, said Dan Weaver, a hospital spokesperson. Personnel immediately stopped using the equipment and began investigating the issue, he said.

The hospital postponed or moved at least 60 elective cases during the disruption, but continued to perform urgent and emergency procedures.

The sterile processing department was back online Monday and the black flecks were gone, Weaver said.

The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center also postponed or moved surgeries due to similar water issues.

The hospital is limiting surgical and procedural cases to those performed with disposable instruments, said Janelle Beswick, a VA spokesperson. Eighteen cases have been postponed thus far.

Shonnie Cline, a spokesperson with Aurora Water, said hospitals told the agency on Friday that they noticed changes to their water.

City officials were still working to determine the cause and origin of the issue, she said. Water quality tests are meeting their standards, Cline said, and the city is not receiving complaints from elsewhere in the distribution network.

The sterilization issues come after the Aurora VA spent months dealing with its own sterilization issues. Hospital staff this spring noticed mysterious black flecks on surgical equipment, which tests later showed to be bits of plastic.

The VA hospital, during the investigation, was forced to cancel hundreds of surgeries and dental appointments.

State and federal inspection records show at least 16 Colorado hospitals have been cited for improper sterilization since 2019.

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