After a three-month pause, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colo., is resuming all surgeries Aug. 12.
The facility halted procedures that involve reusable medical equipment in May after staff found an unknown residue described as black flecks on several surgical equipment trays during presurgical inspections. More than 600 procedures were postponed or referred to community hospitals during the pause, the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System said in a news release shared with Becker's.
The VA did not confirm what caused the residue, though it stated it had been working with regional and national experts to resolve sterile processing issues. In early July, the facility began working with a manufacturer-trained service vendor "to refurbish the hospital's sterilizer and washers," the statement said, adding that staff then ran test loads of equipment to ensure the issue was resolved. The VA convened an incident management team in May to focus on the matter.
"After all of the incredible, thorough work by the Incident Management Team, I believe we have the best sterilization system in the country," Amir Farooqi, interim director of the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, said in the release. "I was so proud of the staff who stopped the line when they saw the black flecks, which meant that we didn't have any patients harmed by this issue. It reinforces that no matter what, patient safety comes first."
The hospital has been at the center of federal probes detailing patient safety and leadership concerns in recent months.