Hawaii hospital replaces plumbing fixtures after legionella investigation

The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu upgraded its plumbing fixtures after the state health department investigated a potential Legionella outbreak in June, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.

Four patients with Legionnaires' disease, one of whom died, were recently treated at the hospital. Two of the cases may have been acquired at the hospital, the department said.

The health department has not found more cases of Legionnaires' disease at Queen's since the first cases were confirmed in mid-June, a department spokesperson told the Star-Advertiser.

The hospital replaced all shower heads in patient care areas, installed point-of-use filters in showers and faucets in high-risk patient areas, replaced or removed all laminar flow devices in patient care areas and increased water chlorination.

"Queen's continues to work closely with the department of Health and CDC to identify the source of Legionella exposure within and outside of the hospital," said Leslie Chun, MD, Queen’s CMO and chief quality officer.

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