Saint Mary's Hospital surgeries resume after sterilization scare
Internal investigation finds issue with sterilization process, not equipment
The surgery schedule at Saint Mary's Hospital in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood is returning to normal after the discovery of improperly sterilized equipment last week led to cancellations and delays.
The hospital reported Friday that non-orthopedic urgent surgeries had resumed, and orthopedic urgent surgeries would resume by Friday at 4 p.m.
The full range of elective surgeries will resume next week.
In a news release, the hospital said it would be contacting patients whose surgeries had been cancelled or postponed to reschedule them.
It said that preliminary findings of an internal investigation attributed the problem to an "imbalance in one of the steps of the sterilization process."
Residue found on the improperly sterilized equipment was determined to be non-bacterial and inert and posed no health risk to patients.
The hospital assured the public that its sterilization equipment is fully functional and that all surgical instruments are being sterilized.
St. Mary's Hospital is a teaching hospital associated with McGill University. It is part of the Montreal West Island integrated health and social services centre.