A physician is suing Denver-based Porter Adventist Hospital after contracting an infection following surgery during the 18-month period in which the facility reportedly failed to properly sterilize surgical instruments, according to CBS4 Denver.
Melanie Green, MD, a physician at Aurora-based Children's Hospital of Colorado, said she was a patient at Porter Adventist Hospital July 25, 2016, to undergo hip surgery. After the surgery, she said she contracted a serious infection.
"I almost died from the infection," Dr. Green told CBS4 Denver. "It was a horrific experience for my family to go through."
Porter Adventist Hospital confirmed to the publication Dr. Green contacted officials about her infection. After finding out about the sterilization breach that possibly affected patients who underwent spine or orthopedic surgery between July 21, 2016, and Feb. 20, 2018, she reportedly contacted the hospital again asking if she was at increased risk for infection. Dr. Green said the hospital informed her "there was no increase in surgical site infections" stemming from the breach, according to the report.
However, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment completed its investigation into Porter Adventist Hospital April 17. In its report released last week, state officials discovered there had been an increase in infections, but that the state's investigation "does not prove a cause and effect between the sterilization breaches and the infections."
In a June 14 statement to Becker's Hospital Review, a Porter Adventist Hospital spokesperson said, "Patient safety remains our number one concern at Porter Adventist Hospital and we continue to work collaboratively with CDPHE to ensure best practices at our hospital."
A spokesperson for the hospital told Becker's June 21: "Any process decisions, including those for cleaning instruments, are based on quality and patient safety."
Editor's note: This article was updated at 4:40 p.m. June 21 to include a statement from Porter Adventist Hospital.
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