Porter Adventist Hospital Puts Most Surgeries On Hold
DENVER (CBS4)- Porter Adventist Hospital voluntarily canceled most surgeries on Thursday and Friday in the latest development into the investigation of patient risk of surgical infections.
The initial investigation centers around people who had orthopedic or spine surgery over an 18-month period and could be at risk for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment is working with the hospital to notify people who had orthopedic or spine surgery at Porter Adventist Hospital between July 21, 2016 and Feb. 20, 2018.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment was notified of the breach on Feb. 21. The department conducted an on-site survey of the infection control practices at the hospital the next day.
The hospital mailed letters on April 4 to patients who may have been put at risk.
On Thursday, health department experts conducted an additional on-site survey of infection-control practices at the hospital after "receiving new information about inadequately cleaned surgical equipment."
According to Centura Health, which operates Porter Adventist Hospital, "... in an abundance of caution, we made the decision to pause all surgeries after we noticed a potential change in our water quality relative to our surgical equipment. We are working closely with patients to reschedule surgeries, and we are supporting them through this process."
Additional Information From Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment:
Porter has established a hotline for patient questions. The phone number is 303-778-5694.
The public can call the Colorado Health Emergency Line for Public Information (COHELP) at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911 for general questions about surgical site infections, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. COHELP hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The public also can email COHELP at COHELP@rmpdc.org
