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UPMC suspends organ transplants due to ICU mold investigation
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has voluntarily suspended all organ transplant operations at one of its hospitals during an epidemiologic investigation of fungal contamination, according to releases from medical center personnel.
On Sept. 17, a cardiothoracic ICU at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian was closed due to the discovery of mold inside a wall and in multiple toilets, according to a statement written by UPMC Chief Quality Officer Tami Minnier, RN. Eighteen patients receiving care in the unit were transferred, and review of the wall mold was linked to the illnesses of three patients, two of whom died.
On Sept. 17, a liver transplant patient at UPMC Montefiore died with what appeared to be a fungal rash, wrote Steven D. Shapiro, MD, chief medical and scientific officer at UPMC. While the rash was consistent with the three previous cases, the patient did not receive care in the contaminated ICU and had no contact with other infected patients.
UPMC is still awaiting culture results from both hospitals, and as of Sept. 21 one lung transplant patient remained ill with the infection. UPMC has chosen to voluntarily and temporarily suspend organ transplants at UPMC Presbyterian during its investigation, Shapiro wrote, and is contacting patients with scheduled procedures to develop an alternate treatment plan.
“Our hospitals are safe and continue to provide world-class care,” Shapiro wrote. “We take this situation extremely seriously, and we have our top experts, as well as outside experts, working tirelessly around the clock and every day to get to the source of the problem and fix it.”
Groups with whom UPMC has consulted include the CDC, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the United Network for Organ Sharing, as well as other mold and hospital environment specialists. In addition, some patients have been pre-emptively placed on antifungal medication; air filters and passages are being re-examined; UV disinfection measures have been instituted; and linens for all immunocompromised patients will be sealed in plastic until use, Shapiro wrote.