Contaminated surgical instruments at the Fulda Hospital

Contaminated surgical instruments at the Fulda Hospital

17.01.2011

At Klinikum Fulda contaminated surgical instruments were discovered. After the hospital had already caused a stir throughout Germany in 2007, when it came to almost 300 salmonella infections and subsequently also to the spread of the Legionella due to hygiene deficiencies, the clinic is now on the basis of the findings of rust and blood Cutlery in the criticism.

After Salmonella and Legionella now impurities of the surgical cutlery
After the 2007 hygiene scandal, the hospital management in Fulda responded by hiring a senior hygienist and hoping to get a handle on the obvious issues. Little successful, as it turns out. In a routine examination, contaminated surgical equipment was discovered in the hospital's central sterilization facility. Actually, all surgical instruments are to be disinfected and sterilized here, but as announced on Saturday, problems with blood remains and flash rust have already occurred for the first time in September. Since then, the contamination of the surgical instruments, according to the information provided by the clinic, although not often, but still occurred permanently - with significant increase towards the end of December.

180,000 surgical instruments are checked
Therefore, around 180,000 surgical utensils have been checked in the sterilization of the Fulda Hospital since Friday, and the operating theater operation has been discontinued, with the exception of emergency treatment. About 90 percent of the planned operations can not be performed at present, according to the hospital. In order to avoid similar problems in the future, the central sterilization will be completely rebuilt in the coming months, according to the responsible of the hospital on Sunday in the context of a press conference. For the impurities are obviously far more extensive than initially assumed. „We had to take note of the fact that corrosion contaminates the entire processing stock, not just the instruments, but also machinery“, emphasized clinic director Harald Jeguschke. However, the discovered deficiencies would only relate to the technically very complex area of ​​central sterilization, continued Jeguschke. But from here also other clinics were supplied with the supposedly sterile instruments. For example, the Herz Jesu Hospital in Fulda as a customer of the sterilization department is also affected.

Central sterilization machines are replaced
Since the machines in the central sterilization had impurities, they will be completely replaced in the coming four months, according to the hospital in the process, with the purchase of new instruments and machines is expected to cost about four million euros. In order to ensure the care of the patients of the hospital Fulda, hospitals from all over Hesse have promised their help, emphasized clinic director Yeguschke. Thus, the clinic will be supplied with fresh, sterile surgical instruments from other hospitals for the imperative emergency operations required and otherwise take over the other clinics also planned operations in Fulda. The management of the Fulda Hospital, however, assumes that the operating theater operation could gradually return to normal operation in the coming days. The discovered impurities have at no time endangered the health of the patients, the hospital management continued.

Hygiene deficiencies due to intentionally contaminated test instruments
In view of the recent hygiene deficiencies at the Fulda Hospital, the mayor of Fulda, Gerhard Möller (CDU), who is also chairman of the supervisory board of the hospital, emphasized on Sunday: „This is certainly no small breakdown, this is no triviality. Of course, this is always a serious process when hygiene defects become visible.“ However, the lack had been discovered and the hospital has nothing to hide, because after all, one has learned from the three years ago Salmonella scandal, explained the Mayor of Fulda. Also clinic board Jeguschke described the current finds as „mean disaster“ and added that he considers the situation as a board and as a person „most depressing“ feel. How exactly it came to the impurities, but so far is not clear. The board of the patient care at the hospital Fulda, Winfried Fassbinder, assumes that the rust came with intentionally dirty test instruments in the entire system - details he did not want to call however.

Spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens due to hygiene deficiencies
Time and again in hospitals malady in the hygiene, which are responsible for the spread of dangerous germs. Thus, infections with harmful germs in the course of a hospital stay in this country are not uncommon. In particular, the multidrug-resistant pathogens (MRSA), which no longer respond to the treatment with the common antibiotics, represent a serious problem. The lack of compliance with the hygiene regulations is one of the main reasons for the increased occurrence of MRSA. (Fp)

Also read:
Every tenth hospital treatment hurts
Risk of infection in the hospital
Sick by hospital germs
Resistant bacteria in German hospitals

Picture: Martin Büdenbender