Equipment fault forces Melbourne hospital to cancel 150 surgeries

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The Austin Hospital has been forced to cancel 150 elective surgeries because of an equipment problem.

The Rumour File was tipped off to the cancellations this morning.

A 3AW Mornings investigation confirmed medical washers, which are used to decontaminate surgical equipment, are to blame for the cancellations.

All medical washers at the hospital were taken out of service after the fault was identified.

Today, five of seven medical washers are operating, and technicians are on site monitoring them.

Non-essential elective surgeries which were scheduled for Friday, Monday and Tuesday have been cancelled.

3AW Mornings understands the fault did not prevent the medical washers from sterilising items, but tiny pieces of rubber were distributed through wash loads.

The equipment failure has not impacted the hospital’s ability to perform emergency and essential surgery.

The hospital has not revealed whether there is any possibility that surgeries which were carried out before the problem was identified may have been compromised.