Almost a week after the discovery of fungi in the air of operating rooms, the Georges-Pompidou European hospital has resumed its surgical activity.
The Georges-Pompidou European Hospital (HEGP) reopened on Monday eight of the nine operating theaters in the block of 1er stage. The Parisian hospital was forced to close them on July 12 after the discovery of filamentous fungi in the air of 3 out of 24 wards.
Last week, a complete cleaning of block 1 was therefore carried out to eliminate the presence of the fungus. Aspergillus. “New samples were taken from July 14, the first results of which, on the third day of culture, as well as those obtained after four days, before their reopening, confirm the total absence of fungi in the nine rooms”, indicates the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) in a press release.
In addition, the air filtering installations were also inspected, and one of them was changed in room 9. “The results of the new technical checks of the air treatment, which have been carried out, will determine its reopening ”, specifies the AP-HP.
No case of infection
During the closure period of Block 1, the other two blocks, which bring together 15 operating theaters, functioned normally and only one intervention had to be postponed. The reopening of the 8 rooms made it possible to accommodate orthopedic and polytraumatic emergencies from this Monday at 8 a.m. Likewise, heavy orthopedic and digestive surgery activities have resumed.
The establishment emphasizes that “no case of postoperative infection Aspergillus has not been identified recently ”, adding that“ any operated patient also benefits, in all circumstances, from systematic postoperative monitoring ”. This pathogen is harmless to the majority of patients, but it can be fatal in immunocompromised patients. It is the second leading cause of death from fungal infection in the hospital environment.
Inaugurated in 2000, the Parisian hospital has already faced several epidemics of nosocomial infections. Barely 4 months after opening, legionellosis, a respiratory bacterial infection, was detected in 9 patients, 4 of whom died. A second wave then arose in June 2001 and again claimed victims. A total of 11 patients treated with HEGP were infected, and 5 of them died.
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