Klinikum Kassel surgical instruments were sterile

Klinikum Kassel: Despite proven residues, the surgical instruments were sterile

04.02.2011

At the beginning of January this year, it became known that Fulda Hospital relied on the surgical equipment of other hospitals, as there were always hygiene deficiencies in their own department. For this reason, one currently demands medical tools from other clinics, including the Klinikum Kassel. A review of just those supplied surgical tools turned out yesterday that they also had hygienic defects in the form of deposits. Today, Klinikum Kassel announced that despite the deposits, the instruments supplied were sterile. In an initiated investigation could be found that, although deposits were present, but at the surgical instruments no organic residues were detected. The hospital management said in this connection that the sterility of the surgical instruments was 100 percent at all times. In addition, at no time would there be any danger to the health of the patients. Currently, the central sterilization is temporarily closed due to further investigations. Therefore, patient care is currently only possible to a limited extent.

Clinic creates package of measures
However, so that such incidents do not repeat themselves, one wants to develop a catalog for further measures. Here, new rules should be set to prevent residues on the medical tools in the future. However, the clinic management did not want to give detailed information on the content of the new guidelines. First, you will introduce the regulations to the Regional Council of Hesse today. The Hessian Social Minister Stefan Grüttner (CDU) had already announced yesterday to have the incidents in Fulda and in Kassel by health authorities to investigate. In addition, it would like to offer further training measures for carers, doctors and technical staff, so that such hygienic defects in the instruments are not repeated again. (Sb)

Read on this topic:
Again contaminated surgical cutlery in Hesse
Contaminated surgical instruments at the Fulda Hospital
Every tenth hospital treatment hurts
Risk of infection in the hospital
Sick by hospital germs
Resistant bacteria in German hospitals

Picture: Martin Büdenbender