Halifax Infirmary may need $1M to fix sterilization problem

Nova Scotia Health Minister Leo Glavine says $1 million may have to be spent to replace malfunctioning sterilization equipment at the Halifax Infirmary that has so far led to 312 surgeries being postponed this week.

The hospital continues to do emergency and planned urgent surgeries, but less urgent operations have been postponed since Monday.

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Everton McLean, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said hospital officials are looking for solutions to the problem. There has been no decision to move surgeries to other hospital sites, he said.

"Our executive and clinical leaders continue to evaluate options for next week, should this issue continue. Our intent is to increase onsite capacity starting Monday," McLean said in an email on Thursday.

"Our focus is on bringing in sterilized equipment to increase capacity at QEII, as opposed to sending to other sites. This is in order to minimize impact at other sites."

Dr. Michael Gross, an orthopedic surgeon in Halifax, said patients booked for elective repair procedures — on hips, knees and shoulders — face having their procedures postponed.

Frustrated patients

Patients who have planned ahead, taken time off work and have family and friends coming to care for them after surgery are frustrated, he said.

And there is no telling when those surgeries will be rescheduled.

"This is the big problem. First of all, we don't know when we're going to be back to normal working, which is a hindrance," Gross said.

"Secondly, the more people that get cancelled, it has a knock-on effect."

As the cancellations pile up, people farther down the list will also have their surgeries postponed.

Hospital staff noticed a fine black dust on sterilized surgery trays on April 11 and determined the sterilization process wasn't working, according to the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Aging equipment

"A lot of surgeons are questioning whether we should have a more pre-emptive approach to renewing equipment. Our equipment is now 20 years old and it is used constantly," he said.

"As you can see, this is a vital part of the hospital."

Gross said the situation may cause hospitals to scrutinize the age and use of equipment, and to deal with concerns before machinery breaks down. It will be hard to to catch up on surgeries, he said.

"We're running flat out, full capacity. The reality is we're running flat out every day," Gross said.

He advised patients to stay in contact with their doctor's offices for updates on the postponements.