Maine Med to resume elective surgeries after patient suspected of having rare disease

Maine Medical Center will resume elective surgeries after halting them because a patient was suspected of having a rare, deadly disease. The patient was suspected of having a prion disease. Prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. A spokesperson for the Maine CDC said they were notified by the hospital Tuesday evening. Testing is underway to determine an official diagnosis. Those test results should be complete on Friday. Prion diseases are rare and in most cases fatal, and can be contracted when brain tissue is ingested. Maine Medical Center said it stopped elective surgeries out of an abundance of caution and went above the CDC's recommendations. In a letter sent to doctors who perform surgeries at the hospital that was obtained by WMTW News 8, officials said elective surgeries will resume on Friday. Full operations will resume on Monday, letter said. Hospital officials said there is no risk of exposure to patients or staff, according to the letter. The CDC website lists many different kinds of prion diseases, including CJD, a human prion disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, an animal prion disease also known as mad cow.

Maine Medical Center will resume elective surgeries after halting them because a patient was suspected of having a rare, deadly disease.



The patient was suspected of having a prion disease.

Advertisement Related Content Maine Med patient believed to have dangerous prion disease

Prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals.

A spokesperson for the Maine CDC said they were notified by the hospital Tuesday evening.

Testing is underway to determine an official diagnosis. Those test results should be complete on Friday.

Prion diseases are rare and in most cases fatal, and can be contracted when brain tissue is ingested.

Maine Medical Center said it stopped elective surgeries out of an abundance of caution and went above the CDC's recommendations.

In a letter sent to doctors who perform surgeries at the hospital that was obtained by WMTW News 8, officials said elective surgeries will resume on Friday.

Full operations will resume on Monday, letter said.

Hospital officials said there is no risk of exposure to patients or staff, according to the letter.

The CDC website lists many different kinds of prion diseases, including CJD, a human prion disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, an animal prion disease also known as mad cow.