Mission Hospital resumes surgeries

Elective surgeries resumed Monday at Mission Hospital Laguna Beach 10 days after hospital officials voluntarily halted procedures in the wake of four patients incurring bacterial infections at affiliated facilities.

Three patients at Mission Hospital Mission Viejo and a fourth at an off-site location developed infections in May and June, prompting hospital officials to temporarily stop elective procedures at both facilities, said Susan Cole, communications director for Mission Hospital.

The hospital brought in outside healthcare experts to analyze the facility’s sterilization practices along with documenting temperature and humidity in rooms, which could have played a part in patients developing the infections, said Chris Bailey, Mission’s director of infection prevention.

The infections were linked to the same bacterial strain, though Bailey declined to specify the type. At this point, officials do not know the bacteria’s cause.

The JointCommission,which certifies agencies for Medicare and Medicaid funding, threatened to deny the hospital its accreditation — citing an immediate threat to the health or safety of patients and the public — following a site visit Oct. 8, commission spokeswoman Katie Looze wrote in an email.

Trauma and emergency operations continued as normal during the period.

The infections and subsequent warning from the Joint Commission were a wakeup call for the hospital to document conditions in greater detail, Bailey said.

“We will be reinspected and reaudited to verify what we’ve done, how it meets the standards,” Bailey said.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce