University of Washington Medical Center has reported that all nine of its heater-cooler devices have tested positive for Legionella bacteria, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality website.
Despite the presence of the bacteria in all of the devices, UW Medicine does not believe they are the source of the human infections, instead blaming the sinks and ice machine.
Five patients in the hospital's Cascade Tower have contracted Legionella infections and two of them have died.
After the first infections were detected, the hospital found an ice machine and two sinks in the Cascade Tower tested positive for the bacteria.
Three heater-cooler devices initially tested positive for Legionella, then all nine of the facility's heater-cooler devices were found to be contaminated.
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