Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center is suspending all elective surgeries and other medical procedures for about two weeks after discovering mold in a surgical equipment sterilization room, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"The central sterile processing room, which disinfects all [operating room] and procedural supplies for clinical areas, is suffering from severe water damage and mold contamination and must be closed immediately," Brad Spellberg, MD, CMO of the 600-bed public hospital, told physicians in a Sept. 25 email obtained by the Los Angeles Times. He also wrote that the hospital will continue to disinfect some surgical equipment for use in trauma cases, but all other procedures would be canceled.
The mold contamination was found in the last few days, according to a Sept. 26 statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Office of Communications.
"LAC+USC has discovered low levels of mold in the air and mold in the ceiling," the department told the Los Angeles Times. "We have no evidence that mold has affected any surgical instruments ... No patients have been infected or harmed."
Who discovered the mold, along with what type of mold was found, is currently unknown.