Regular surgical volumes restored at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital

GRANDE PRAIRIE – Alberta Health Services (AHS) has recently resumed regular weekly surgical volumes at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital (GPRH), and local leadership is planning further increases in surgical activity, with a target of a 15 per cent increase by the end of September.

AHS apologizes to patients whose procedures were postponed due to the Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR) issue at GPRH and continues to prioritize completing postponed procedures as soon as possible. As of July 20, approximately 97 per cent of postponed surgeries had been completed or rescheduled, and affected patients continue to be contacted directly to arrange new surgery dates.

AHS has followed a phased surgical resumption plan in recent weeks, gradually increasing elective surgical capacity at GPRH while ensuring the safe availability of surgical instruments. More than 130 elective surgeries are now scheduled each week, with plans to run an additional operating room theatre this summer to increase surgical capacity and improve timely access to care.

AHS has resumed on-site surgical instrument reprocessing at GPRH following the installation of a mobile Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR) unit. The unit became operational in late June. The mobile unit is a temporary solution while repairs and upgrades are completed to the site's permanent MDR infrastructure. While most surgical instruments will be reprocessed on-site using the mobile unit, plans remain in place to continue using off-site reprocessing as needed to support surgical volumes.

Work to replace the existing steam sterilizers with new electric sterilizers to mitigate the building steam issues is expected to continue over the next months. Permanent MDR repairs are expected to be completed this fall.

Following identification of the MDR issue at GPRH, AHS immediately removed potentially affected equipment from service, paused local surgical instrument reprocessing, and launched a comprehensive investigation with support from Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and the Medical Officer of Health.

As part of the investigation, AHS reviewed high-risk surgical cases from the past two years and has not identified any infections associated with the MDR issue. Cases reviewed included hip and knee replacements, as well as other surgical cases that used reprocessed instruments. AHS continues to monitor any potential risk to patients, and established processes remain in place for follow-up, including patient notification and testing when warranted.

Patient safety remains AHS's top priority, and AHS recognizes the impact this issue has had on patients, families, staff and the Grande Prairie community.

Patients with questions or concerns about their care can contact AHS Patient Relations at 1-855-550-2555.

Alberta Health Services provides acute care services for more than five million Albertans at hospitals, urgent care centres and health centres across the province. Our mission is to provide excellent and accessible patient-focused healthcare for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait times, increasing access to surgeries and improving patient flow.