Abbott Northwestern hospital in Minneapolis used unsterilized medical equipment in surgeries recently, potentially putting some patients at risk of serious infections, according to an article on the KARE11 website.
An unsterilized load of 14 instrument sets were released, but only four were actually used, the article said.
According to the article, the surgical instruments are supposed to be sterilized in a Genesis pan that has a white plastic lock. When the pans are properly sterilized, the white locks change color.
"To have this happen with even one tray is shocking, scary, unacceptable," an employee said in the article. "But that this happened to so many trays at one time is mind blowing. It's essentially a healthcare bomb."
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