Operations cancelled as Western tackles bacterial infection

A ‘small number’ of patients at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital are being treated for a bacterial infection.

NHS Lothian said an infection alert was triggered after the discovery of the bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa in a ward in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

The discovery has led to the cancellation of more than thirty non-emergency operations.

The health board said the cases are not linked and it continues to investigate the source of infection.

The bacteria has been identified in a shower and some taps in one area of a neurosciences ward but tests are still being carried out to establish if this is where the patients picked up their infection.

Prof Alex McMahon, director of nursing at NHS Lothian, said: “A very small number of patients in a ward in the Western General Hospital have been identified with an infection caused by the bacteria pseudomonas aeruginos. The cases, which are not linked, continue to be treated and the patients are being monitored very closely.

“A multidisciplinary incident management team has been established and tests are ongoing.

“This bacteria is common and rarely affects healthy individuals, but can be harmful to a small number of patients who are very vulnerable to infection.

“All necessary infection control measures are being carried out in the ward and, as a precaution, also in an adjacent area, to ensure patient safety is maintained.

“Unfortunately this has resulted in elective procedures in the department being postponed on Monday and Tuesday.”

More than thirty non-emergency operations have been cancelled so far, and ‘elective procedures’ have now been cancelled until Friday at the earliest.