What happens when a hospital slashes funding to its infection control program so it can build a brand new lakeside campus? Dirty instruments end up in the OR, alleges a whistleblowing orthopedic surgeon in Wisconsin.

James Stoll, MD, told WISN news in Milwaukee, Wis., that officials at the now closed Columbia Hospital siphoned money from its infection control department in order to alleviate a budget crunch in its $417 million construction project.

When surgical infection rates suddenly increased in 2008, Dr. Stoll suspected contaminated instruments were to blame. "We learned about (the budget cuts) after the fact, only when we started asking questions and problems started cropping up," he told WISN.

He allegedly began to warn patients about the rising infection risks at Columbia, which earned him a slap on the wrist from the hospital's administration as they conducted an internal investigation. "Those who are aware of healthcare services review information are obligated to keep it confidential and not disclose it to anyone," warned the hospital in a letter sent to Dr. Stoll.

The hospital then reportedly threatened to sue Dr. Stoll for slander. "I was mortified. Absolutely mortified," he told WISN.

Columbia merged with St. Mary's Hospital and opened the new campus in October 2010. Five women who allegedly contracted staph infections during surgery at Columbia are reportedly now suing Columbia St. Mary's, which did not respond to requests for comment. Former patient Cindy Patrick's lawsuit is currently in court. Dr. Stoll agreed to testify on her behalf. "In a very short period of time — in July, August, September and October — there were four infections," he said on the stand.

The hospital's expert witness, William Rutala, PhD, MPH, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, countered that steam sterilization kills infectious microorganisms on instruments. "There is no evidence that a dirty instrument was used in Ms. Patrick's surgery," he testified. "The majority of surgical site infections are not caused from microorganisms outside the body. They're caused by microorganisms on our skin."

Daniel Cook