“UW Health is actively addressing an issue with hard-water residue on sterilized surgical equipment at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital,” the Madison, Wis.-based system said in a Sept. 25 statement to Becker’s.
“While we know the issue is not infectious and does not present a safety risk, some procedures are being rescheduled,” the statement said, adding that clinical teams are contacting affected patients.
The health system did not say how many procedures are being rescheduled or when normal operations may resume.
Sterilization equipment-related issues have caused a number of hospitals to pause surgeries over the past year. Hospitals often don’t share details about what the specific issues entail, though they tend to come as facilities contend with aging infrastructure and a shortage of sterile processing staff.
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