Three heater-cooler units — equipment used to heat and cool patients during heart surgery — tested positive for Legionella bacteria at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality website.
The bacteria infected four patients at the hospital with Legionnaires' disease. Two of the infected patients died.
The source of the outbreak has been linked to the hospital's water system as bacteria was detected in an ice machine and two sinks in the cardiac unit.
Though the water used to run the heater-cooler units does not come into direct contact with patients, the equipment has been linked to other outbreaks involving pathogens, the article said.
The Role of Positive Distraction in Pediatric Design
Healthcare Waste is Fueling America's Debt
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System to Rebrand Following Sanford Health Merger
How Digital Technologies Are Reshaping Performance in Healthcare Facilities
The Role of Plumbing in Healthcare-Associated Infections