Becker's ASC Review

43 HEALTHCARE NEWS New Jersey hospital performs kidney transplant on wrong patient By Mackenzie Bean C amden, N.J.-based Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital performed a kidney transplant on the wrong patient Nov. 18, hospital officials confirmed to CBS 3 Philly. The mix-up involved two patients who have the same name and are close in age. The 51-year-old patient who received the kidney was also on the transplant list, although ranked lower in priority. A staff member recognized the mistake a day after the surgery. Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health, which acquired Lourdes Health System this summer, voluntary reported the error to New Jersey health officials. "This is an unprecedented event in our respected 40-plus-year transplant program," Reginald Blaber, MD, executive vice presi- dent and chief clinical officer of Virtua Health, said in a statement to CBS 3 Philly. "As an organization committed to safety and pro- cess, we immediately instituted additional measures and educa- tional reinforcement to help ensure this does not happen again." The higher-priority patient underwent a kidney transplant Nov. 24. Both patients' transplant surgeries were successful. n New York hospital closes campus By Ayla Ellison E astern Niagara Health System has made several changes in recent months to improve its financial position and ensure long-term viability. In August, ENHS announced plans to close its campus in Newfane, N.Y. The system scaled back services at the hospital campus, previ- ously known as Newfane Inter-Community Memorial Hospital, before shutting it down, according to Buffalo Business First. The Newfane campus closed Nov. 29, according to a Worker Adjust- ment Retraining Act Notification notice. The system's campus in Lockport, N.Y., remains opens and is work- ing its way through the bankruptcy process. The hospital entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early November. Eastern Niagara Hospi- tal CEO Anne McCaffrey said legacy debt obligations pushed the hospital into bankruptcy. "The hospital has always met payroll, but it cannot overcome a number of the financial burdens that were incurred over the past ten years," she told Buffalo Business First in November. "Through much analysis over the past year, it has been determined that ENH cannot get to break even with service line closures alone; there- fore, Chapter 11 reorganization is necessary." n Seattle Children's knew of mold issues last year, emails reveal By Gabrielle Mason S eattle Children's Hospital knew about the Asper- gillus mold causing patient infections for a year and a half, according to internal emails between hospital leaders and Seattle/King County (Wash.) Public Health officials cited by KIRO 7. Six things to know: 1. KIRO 7 received heavily redacted internal emails from June 2018 aer filing a public records request in July. A King County judge cleared some of the redac- tions Nov. 19. 2. In the emails, King County health officials asked the hospital about the number of children infected by the mold last year. e hospital told health officials that some mold-related patient infections dated back to 2001. 3. However, Jeff Sperring, MD, CEO of Seattle Chil- dren's Hospital, did not disclose this information to the public until Nov. 18. Since 2001, 14 patients have got- ten sick from the mold, and six have died, according to Dr. Sperring. It is now suspected that an air-handling system serving the operating rooms is to blame for some of the earlier infections. 4. In 2001, building engineers expressed concerns about issues with this ventilation system, according to court documents and emails obtained by KING 5 News. "e coils and drain pans actually have mold and fungus growing on them," Kenneth Johnson, a maintenance engineer, wrote in a 2001 email to his supervisor. "We need to rectify this situation ASAP before someone gets sick or infection control gets complaints." 5. Seattle Children's most recent mold issues have sickened one patient, and a second potential case is under investigation. e hospital told KIRO 7 it has postponed 255 surgeries since announcing the pres- ence of Aspergillus in three operating rooms and two procedural areas Nov. 10. 6. e hospital has closed 10 operating rooms until January while special air filtration systems are installed, a procedure initially slated for completion in July. "In addition to addressing the air-quality issues in our operating rooms, we will conduct a rigorous, thorough review of the factors that led to this situation. Among other issues, we will examine our culture, our leader- ship, and how our teams communicate problems and escalate concerns," Dr. Sperring said in the statement made Nov. 18. n

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