Los Angeles Hospital Suspends Some Cardiac Procedures
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Hollywood on Monday suspended some cardiac procedures after four patients who underwent such surgeries the week before developed the same type of bacteria infections, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Jonathan Fielding said that no deaths had resulted from the infection by a blood-borne bacterium called serratia. He said that county epidemiologists had begun researching the source of the infection last weekend and that the county planned to complete its report by the end of the week.
Kaiser spokesperson Jim Anderson said that the facility had suspended only one type of cardiac procedure, which accounts for less than 10% of the facility's daily surgery volume. He declined to say what procedure had been suspended.
Anderson said that the affected patients have been contacted and that the facility has continued to perform angioplasties and other cardiac procedures (Chong, Los Angeles Times, 1/18).