A mechanical failure forced Cambridge Memorial Hospital to postpone more than 100 surgeries and minor procedures, a spokesperson confirmed.
Stephan Beckhoff told Global News in an emailed statement that the southern Ontario hospital was testing generators on Wednesday night which led to an issue with the chillers which keep the operating and minor procedure areas of the hospital cool.
“To ensure the safety of our patients, we made the decision to defer surgeries and minor procedures on July 6 and 7 so that all the surgical equipment can be re-sterilized,” he explained, noting that the process should be completed on Friday.
“Unfortunately, this has caused 54 elective surgeries and 39 minor procedures to be deferred,” Beckhoff said.
“We’re working with surgeons and staffing to prioritize and re-schedule these cases.”
He said the hospital is also currently working with suppliers to see if the mechanical breakdown led to any issues with the surgical supplies in the operating room areas.
“Our priority at this time is to confirm the quality and safety of our supplies and to make up these surgeries over the short term,” Beckhoff explained.
“CMH has worked hard to resume its surgeries to pre-pandemic levels. Until this incident happened, it has been running its ORs at 100 per cent.”
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