An independent expert confirmed that a mold problem at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center was successfully resolved after testing air and surfaces in an area used to sterilize surgical instruments, the Department of Health Services announced Tuesday.
Elective surgeries resumed Friday after being halted two days before because of mold contamination in a sterilization room.
The action was taken after low levels of mold were detected in the air
and ceiling in the area where surgical instruments are sterilized, the result of what the department described as "a minor, localized water leak."
The sterilization room was closed for abatement and hospital staff used other sterilizer equipment, both on campus and in its sister facilities, to maintain patient services.
The independent tests were conducted Monday by an Independent Certified Industrial Hygienist.
Mold has not been discovered anywhere else in the medical center or on any surgical instruments, according to the county DHS.
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"Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center Medical Center does sterilization confirmation testing with each batch of instruments to ensure the sterility of all instruments used in the operating room, and continues to ensure and prioritize the safety of patients," according to a DHS statement.
Emergency and trauma surgeries were not impacted and the majority of elective surgeries have resumed as scheduled, according to the hospital.
