The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) resumed its organ transplant procedures on Sunday, Sept 27, after it was voluntarily shut down for a more in-depth investigation on the fungal infections.
Two patients admitted to the Presbyterian died at different times in one of the rooms in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit following a transplant. Another was also declared dead in the hospital's Montefiore campus. All three deaths, however, were attributed to fungal infection caused by the presence of indoor mold. Molds can be life threatening for people with low or compromised immune systems, such as those who received transplants.
The unit was closed and the transplant program halted while those patients who needed the procedure urgently were sent to other local hospitals. One of the transplant patients was monitored for the possible infection while others still in the hospital were already provided with medications as a preventive measure.
In its most recent blog post, the center shared that the decision was made after a comprehensive review of the center's external and internal procedures. Two of the investigators were the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the state's Department of Health. Some of these patients will be coming from other states such as Kentucky and Virginia.
But even if they could already proceed with their organ transplants, the hospital still needs to submit a corrective action plan to ensure that the problem won't happen again. Investigators suggest that the hospital use robots that can give off UV light that could kill mold spores as well as replace the micro filters in the air-conditioning units. The hospital may also have to modify the way they handle their linens.
Karen Murphy, the health secretary of the state, will also be conducting an aggressive surveillance of the hospital to check if the recommendations are being executed.
In the meantime, the hospital wishes to express its gratitude to all parties that undertook the review and to their colleagues who have been supportive. The hospital has yet to provide more information on the mold culture.
