BSE risk halts tonsil operations

Single-use instruments will not be available until February

A hospital in Plymouth has cancelled all tonsil and adenoids operations because of fears over the possibility of passing on the human form of mad cow disease during surgery.

A consultant at Derriford Hospital said the risk of contamination was "very small and theoretical".

But patients will have to wait for a few weeks until disposable surgical instruments are made available.

The government announced earlier this month that it would spend millions of pounds to prevent any risk of people contracting the human form of BSE during surgery.

We believe that it is in the best interests of all concerned to postpone tonsil and adenoid surgery with immediate effect

Paul Windle-Taylor
Consultant Surgeon

The money will be used to provide surgeons with disposable instruments for tonsil surgery, at a cost of £25m a year.

As part of the programme, the government is giving hospitals a further £200m to modernise NHS decontamination and sterilisation facilities to prevent transmission of vCJD

Derriford Hospital had planned to introduce new single-use equipment by the end of February.

But following concerns raised by surgeons, all tonsillectomies and adenoidectamies have been postponed.

The operations will take place once the disposable instruments are ready, which is likely to mean a delay of a few weeks to operations.

Mr Paul Windle-Taylor, consultant ear nose and throat surgeon, said: "There is no evidence at present that variant CJD is transmitted surgical instruments, but we are committed to following best practice and wish to comply with the new guidance as soon as possible."

"We need to test and establish a supply of single-use instruments and until then, we believe that it is in the best interests of all concerned to postpone tonsil and adenoid surgery with immediate effect."

Plymouth Hospitals Trust currently carries out around 700 tonsillectomies and adenoidectamies each year - many on children.