When the machine went down, the hospital canceled elective and non-emergent surgeries. The machine worked, just much slower than usual.
“When it wasn’t functioning, there was a bit of a logjam, if you will,” Lorraine Wall, CNO, said during the hospital’s board of commissioners meeting Wednesday, the Daily News reported.
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As of the meeting, the hospital was back on its normal surgical schedule. The hospital ran the malfunctioning machine 24 hours a day to keep up with demand.
Olympic Medical Center ordered a new machine, which was shipped Tuesday. The machine was free, as the malfunctioning machine was still under warranty.
The hospital also plans to order a second, larger machine soon.
More articles on sterilization issues:
Wyoming hospital urged to contact patients after unsterile surgical instrument reports
On the brink: 3 dangers of inadequate surgical instrument reprocessing departments
Agencies launch new investigation of Detroit Medical Center’s central sterile department
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