WASHINGTON — Some elective operations at a Fairfax County hospital were canceled this week because of recurring grit found on sterilized surgical equipment.
A spokeswoman for Inova Fairfax Hospital told WTOP in an email that the hospital is working to identify the root cause of the sterile, sandlike particles. Extra steps to ensure the equipment is properly sterilized is taking additional time and as a result, fewer than 10 percent of elective surgeries had to be canceled.
“A limited number” of particles continue to show up on surgical trays and equipment after they’ve gone through the sterilization process, Tracy Connell said in the email statement.
Nonemergency surgeries were canceled or rescheduled over a two-day period when the grit first surfaced last month. The hospital repaired and replaced washers and sterilizers and brought in sterilized equipment from other hospitals to ensure enough trays were available for operations.
“It is important to note that there is no risk of infection and we continue to make this our highest priority,” Connell said in the statement.
The hospital said two weeks ago that the repairs had eliminated the particles.
