Vic; Hospital air checks after patient dies of fungal infection

00-00-0000
Vic; Hospital air checks after patient dies of fungal infection

By Royal Abbott and Ben Packham

MELBOURNE, April 10 AAP - Melbourne's Alfred Hospital has ordered an air flow auditin its intensive care unit (ICU) after a man died there from pneumonia caused by the airbornefungus, aspergillus.

The man died at the Alfred on January 20 from a fungal infection that should have beenfiltered out of the air of the 18-month-old intensive care ward.

The coroner is to investigate his death.

Hospital general manager Bruce Levy told reporters aspergillus was airborne and foundeverywhere but posed no risk for healthy people.

The most susceptible were patients whose immune systems were not working properly,particularly transplant patients.

The Alfred would not say today why the man who died was in intensive care.

Mr Levy said it took six to eight weeks testing to eliminate the rest of the hospitaland the Alfred's air conditioning as a source of the fungal contamination.

The belief was that the aspergillus spores entered the ward from the outside.

"We found outside air was getting into the ICU at levels higher than we would haveexpected - about two or three times," Mr Levy said.

The ceiling of the single-storey unit, which was close to the hospital's helipad, wassuspected of being a possible source.

"It's got its own ceiling and roofline and we think it's coming through that area," he said.

The coroner was notified of the death in February and began an investigation last month.

Six intensive care patients were moved to the old ICU today as the hospital continuedits investigation.

Mr Levy said the results of the environmental audit should be available within threedays and that would determine what engineering measures were needed.

The fungal problem follows last month's scare when nine patients were operated on atthe Alfred with unclean equipment after a sterilising machine malfunctioned.

Health Minister John Thwaites said the case was a concern but its discovery was evidencethat hospitals were now more willing to investigate and address infection control issues.

"In the past, there hasn't been anything like the system we have now for investigatingand revealing that information," Mr Thwaites said.

"So while of course I am very concerned about infection, I think it is very positivethat hospitals are looking much more closely at ... their infection control issues."

He said he was first notified before Easter that the Alfred Hospital was concernedabout the case and he was satisfied with the measures it had taken since to pinpoint thecause of the problem.

AAP bp/ra/clr/ph/sb

KEYWORD: FUNGUS NIGHTLEAD