An unplugged network jack in a Philadelphia Department of Veterans Affairs hospital rendered a prostate cancer postoperative treatment planning system unable to accept CT scans for 12 months, according to a VA inspector general report.

The report, which reviews prostate cancer treatment practices at VA hospitals, found that the Philadelphia treatment planning system for a surgery done in the early stages of prostate cancer went offline in November 2006.

A VA information technology employee and a vendor unplugged the treatment system's network connection in the course of installing another system. It took a year before a new network jack was installed and the system was allowed to reconnect to the hospital network.

During that time, the hospital conducted 17 early prostate cancer surgeries, technically known as prostate brachytherapy. None of those patients appear to have been harmed by the system's lack of connectivity, although at one point an IT employee said that the system's disconnection was "effecting patient care."                                                                       

Although the system could not receive CT scans, ultrasounds images were uploaded to the system.  

At another point, a health physicist said that the system's inability to accept CT scans resulted in "an approximate three month backlog of prostate implant post plans."

The problem was relatively simple in terms of technology, but "bureaucratically complex," the IG writes.

For more:
- read the VA inspector general report 09-02815-143 (.pdf)

Related Articles:
VA on an IT shut down tear
VA wants more secretaries