VA working to determine source of substance on medical equipment
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Aurora is still working to determine the cause of a mysterious residue found on reusable medical equipment, but now they have an idea of what it is.
Over a month ago, staff members halted surgeries once they noticed the substance.
“This is really thanks to some amazing staff who stopped the line,” said Amir Farooqi, interim director at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System.
As of June 13, 436 surgeries and 103 dental appointments were affected by the residue, but no known patients have been harmed as a result.
“It was concerning enough to us that we felt like we’ve got to do something,” Farooqi said.
Farooqi said the substance is black and visible to the naked eye. The good news, he said, is it is plastic. If it were biological, it might have been contagious.
Now that they have an idea of what it is, it can help narrow down the possibilities of where it came from.
“We don’t know for sure where that plastic is coming from. We believe and we can assume that it’s probably coming from something within the equipment,” Farooqi said.
‘We just want to pinpoint the source and make sure it’s fixed’
The Rocky Mountain Regional VA is now working with patients to either postpone their surgeries if they are not urgent or get them to community hospitals, which they will cover.
“Usually in these cases where we’re sending a patient out to the community for these procedures, that’s something where a VA will cover it,” Farooqi said. “We actually set up a network of community care providers … to make sure they get the care they need.”
While he said they understand the inconvenience and are working to get this issue resolved, it will be an intensive process.
“When it comes to sterilization, it sounds simple. But there’s actually a lot that goes into sterilization. The equipment is very complicated,” Farooqi said. “That may mean breaking down the equipment, and we’re OK with doing so, because ultimately we just want to pinpoint the source and make sure it’s fixed.”
Farooqi said at the end of the day, he is thankful for the quick actions of the staff to identify the problem and continuing to show their standards of care.
“I’m really proud of our staff,” Farooqi said. “Ultimately for us, it is about patient safety, it’s about being a highly reliable organization, and I appreciate what they’re doing by doing the right thing.”
Rachel Saurer
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