R. Frazee1, H. Papaconstantinou1, R. Frazee1 1Scott & White Healthcare,Surgery,Temple, Texas, USA
Introduction: Physical disasters to the operative suite can occur through severe weather, power outages, fires, and structural failure. Advanced planning permits a coordinated response to physical disasters, and should be a part of hospitals’ emergency response planning. Loss of services can severely impact patient care and produce financial shortfalls.
Methods: A retrospective review of a flood in at a 25-room hospital operative suite was performed. Patient safety, operative volume, disaster team response, and overall impact to patient care were analyzed.
Results:
On May 10, 2017, during the night shift cleaning of the operative suite, a ceiling fire sprinkler was dislodged. One hundred gallons of stored water/minute was released for 48 minutes before the shut off valve was located and closed. Eleven operating rooms sustained flood damage and were deemed unsafe for usage. The disaster plan was activated and the “command center” opened. Physician, nursing, administrative, and physical plant leadership joined in the command center to coordinate the response as follows:
Containment: Physical barriers were placed between involved and uninvolved operating rooms to contain water, humidity, and potential infectious contaminants. Ongoing monitoring of rooms occurred to assure patient safety.
Communication: Patients scheduled for elective surgery and their surgeons were contacted before their report time to inform them of the situation. They were given the option to reschedule for another day or proceed with a revised report time.
Cooperation: A revised schedule utilizing the 14 remaining functional rooms was developed. When possible, hospital outpatient procedures were moved to our on-campus outpatient surgery center. A second shift of scheduled cases was developed to accommodate the volume of cases with fewer operating rooms. An elective Saturday schedule was added to address unmet surgical volume.
Clean-up: Water removal and drying devices were immediately implemented. Assistance from a commercial restoration company and consultants was utilized. Damaged structural elements were removed and reconstructed. Infectious disease experts performed culture analysis to assure patient safety.
After six days of round the clock clean-up, the damaged rooms were repaired and met monitoring standards for patient use. All postponed cases had been accommodated with the expanded hours and weekend schedule.
Conclusion: Prior planning is essential to meet the challenges of physical disaster in the operative suite. A command center with defined leadership roles permits a rapid response to minimize the impact of these events.