“Evaluation of the material on our main sterilizers indicated it was a residual of a cleaning product that had not been fully rinsed,” the hospital said in a statement to KMSP.
Minneapolis VA Medical Center canceled some surgeries earlier this week and rescheduled others as the substance was being tested in a lab. As of Friday, the hospital resumed its full operating room schedule.
Moving forward, the hospital is reviewing the cleaning process of its sterilizers to make sure cleaning products are thoroughly rinsed in the future.
“This was a one-time event; patients were never at risk,” according to the statement.
More articles on patient safety:
Minneapolis VA hospital stops surgeries after foreign substance found in sterilization equipment
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