Surgical Gown Recall Leads To Nationwide Shortage, Causing Surgeries To Be Postponed
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Surgeries are reportedly being postponed around the country because of a shortage of surgical gowns.
More than 9 million gowns, and the supplies that came with them, are being recalled.
Cardinal Health told customers to stop using the gowns because it can't guarantee they are sterile.
One man near Boston, Massachusetts, says his father, who has pancreatic cancer, was told there might be a two-week delay to install a chemotherapy port.
"What do you do with that information? You're told, 'We need to start this now,' and then five minutes later, you're told, 'Oh no, we can't do that,'" he said.
Thankfully, his father eventually did have the procedure without further delay.
The recalled gowns were distributed to more than 2,800 facilities across the country.