The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora has begun resuming surgeries after a mysterious residue caused hundreds of procedures to be delayed or moved over the past four months.
Testing showed previously unknown black flecks on surgical trays to be made of plastic, said Janelle Beswick, a regional spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Hospital staff found residue on roughly 5% of the facility’s surgical trays.
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The issue appears to have come from the hospital’s steam sterilization system used to clean reusable medical equipment, she said in an email.
The VA hospital on July 15 began using reusable medical instruments after officials fully refurbished the sterilizer washers and replaced internal parts that had worn down, Beswick said.
As of Monday, all surgical sets passed “rigorous inspection,” she said, as the hospital continues to phase in surgical services. If results continue, full surgical operations should resume Aug. 12.
The Denver Post first reported May 10 that the Aurora VA was halting surgeries in light of the mysterious residue. Internal VA emails reviewed by The Post show the issue cropped up as early as April, after which the hospital began rescheduling all surgeries that involved reusable medical equipment.
The VA struggled for months to figure out the origin and make-up of the residue, with initial tests coming back inconclusive. As of last month, 436 surgical cases and 103 dental appointments had been impacted.
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