Seattle Children’s closes operating rooms over mold

SEATTLE — Seattle Children’s hospital is closing all operating rooms on its Seattle campus for at least five days in an effort to get a handle on a recurring mold problem that, since last year, has killed one patient and sickened at least six others.

During the closure, the hospital plans to clean the rooms as well as sanitize and address any problems it finds with the air-handling system that serves the rooms. An air-handling unit was also blamed after Aspergillus mold was found in Children’s operating rooms earlier this year.

Children’s closed three of its 14 operating rooms Sunday after testing found Aspergillus. The hospital confirmed that a surgical patient was sickened and the hospital is monitoring a second patient for possible aspergillosis, the disease caused by the mold.

The fungus made three other Children’s patients ill earlier this year, in addition to three patients infected in 2018, one of whom died this past spring.

Aspergillus is a common mold, found outdoors and indoors, that people breathe in daily without getting sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with lung disease or weakened immune systems, and especially organ- or stem-cell-transplant patients, are at higher risk of developing aspergillosis, manifesting as an allergic reaction or as infections in the lungs and other organs.

Operating rooms and affiliated areas have been tested for mold spores at least once a week since July 4, when they were reopened following the earlier infections. After this round of inspection and cleaning of the air-handling unit, the hospital will test the air daily, said Kathryn Mueller, a spokeswoman for Children’s.

“We remain committed to taking the necessary steps to resolve this air quality issue and are deeply sorry for the impact this closure will have on our patients and families,” Mueller said.