LA hospital resumes elective surgeries after mold contamination

Gabrielle Masson -

Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center resumed elective surgeries Sept. 27 after the hospital suspended medical procedures due to mold contamination in a surgical equipment sterilization room, according to the Los Angeles Times.  

The hospital is performing an increasing amount of elective surgeries and expects to return to full capacity soon, the Los Angeles County health department said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

Officials had discovered a "minor, localized water leak," and did not find mold anywhere else in the hospital, the statement said.

"This sterilization room was contained and closed for abatement, and all patients and staff remained safe," the health department told the Los Angeles Times. "The hospital is utilizing alternate sterilizer equipment capacity, located both on campus and in its sister facilities, to maintain services for its patients."

Physicians at the 600-bed medical center learned about the contamination Sept. 25 when the hospital’s CMO, Brad Spellberg, MD, sent an email to staff warning that elective surgeries would not resume for an estimated two weeks due to "severe water damage and mold."

It is still unknown what type of mold was discovered or who found it.

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