THE INTENSIVE care unit at Sligo General Hospital has been shut down because of an outbreak of VRE, a bug that can be dangerous for patients with low immunity.
The outbreak was discovered on Thursday and the handful of patients in the unit were yesterday being transferred to ICU wards in other hospitals.
A HSE West spokesperson said it is uncertain when the Sligo unit will be reopened but it is not anticipated that the closure will be long.
An intensive cleaning operation was carried out and swabs will be taken and tested at regular intervals over the next few days until doctors are satisfied the unit is clear of the bug.
New patients who may need to be admitted to ICUs will be taken to hospitals in Letterkenny, Galway and Castlebar.
Accident and emergency cases in the Sligo area will be admitted to the local hospital for stabilisation but will then be transferred to Letterkenny, Galway or Castlebar if intensive care is required.
Sligo General said that as a result of ongoing surveillance, an increased incidence of VRE (Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus) was identified in the intensive care unit.
A spokesman said: “This micro-organism is potentially a risk to a small minority of patients. In view of this, the hospital has, as a precautionary measure, taken the decision to restrict admission to the unit temporarily.
“This has implications for the hospital in the management of critically ill and high-risk patients. All patients who may require critical care services will be transferred to other intensive care units in the region.”
The spokesman added: “While we appreciate this may have a significant impact on our patients, our primary concern is their safety and welfare. In view of this, all elective admissions will be monitored by our consultant surgeons and consultant anaesthetists on a daily basis. For a short period, we may have to defer some procedures.”