Sterilization machines break down, operations cancelled

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Sterilization machines break down, operations cancelled

By Michele Young, Kamloops Daily News

-More than two dozen surgeries were cancelled in Kamloops over the last two

weeks, after all three surgical-instrument sterilizers at the Royal Inland

Hospital stopped functioning.

All sterilizers were functioning again as of Friday, and hospital administrator

Marg Brown expected a full slate of surgeries to proceed on Monday.

The latest equipment failures - which began with two machines malfunctioning

last week then, after they were temporarily fixed, hit all three machines this

week -have caused all sorts of headaches. Nineteen surgeries were cancelled last

week, while another six were postponed Friday.

One patient was travelling from Quesnel and didn't get the message not to make

the trip.

" I gave them my most humble apology, very sincerely, " Brown said. " We weren't

able to get hold of them, so they came to check in. We did have a discussion.

They were lovely. Really nice people. Very understanding. "

Emergency surgeries were not impacted, as the hospital switched to disposable

surgical supplies as much as possible and was able to have some instruments

sterilized at the privately run Kamloops Surgical Centre and Shuswap Lake

General Hospital.

The hospital has a new machine on order, with double the capacity of one of the

current machines. Brown said it cost $200,000 and is expected to arrive July 5.

The old machines will monitored in the meantime. " I'm cautiously optimistic and

we do have contingency plans in place, " said Brown.

The hospital's sterilization unit has struggled for months. Surgeries were

cancelled in February after instruments were found with bits of debris on them.

Police were called when similar problems cropped up a few weeks later, due to

fears the equipment had been deliberately contaminated. No one was charged.

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