By Associated Press - Thursday, May 21, 2015

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - The Grand Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center has discontinued many surgeries at the facility after some procedures resulted in unwanted outcomes.

The Daily Sentinel reports (https://bit.ly/1R6qGsu ) the center’s director, Marc Magill, says the VA has decided to suspend intra-abdominal surgeries, which include procedures like gall bladder and appendix removals. The decision comes after the hospital saw five procedures over a nine-month period end in unwanted outcomes, including two deaths.

Many of the surgeries will be performed at Community Hospital by the same VA surgeons, but a third-party observer will be watching and reporting back to VA officials.

A spokesman for the Grand Junction VA says they have stepped forward to figure out what caused the unwanted events. He says they hope to resume the surgeries as soon as possible.

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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, https://www.gjsentinel.com

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