Los Robles Used Contaminated Tools in Surgeries, State Finds

In one case, craniotomy went ahead after false eyelashes were found in the instrument tray.

Holly Bieler · September 6, 2026 · Thousand Oaks

Los Robles Regional Medical Center used contaminated instruments in three surgeries, failed to properly sanitize its surgical equipment, and didn't report an incident that put a patient at risk, state regulators found, the *Ventura County Star* is reporting.

The findings, laid out in a 54-page California Department of Public Health report, are the first detailed account of the sterilization problems that shut down surgeries at the Thousand Oaks hospital for several days in February. At the time, hospital leaders called the issue isolated and said no patients had been put in danger.

Investigators found otherwise. In one case, a surgical tray opened for a craniotomy, a procedure in which bone is removed from the skull, was found to contain false eyelashes. The surgery went ahead anyway. The hospital never reported the incident to the state as an "adverse event," investigators said, because a patient safety director didn't consider it serious.

Two other patients were put under anesthesia for surgeries that were then called off because of compromised equipment, according to the report.

The investigation was triggered by 11 complaints that the hospital wasn't meeting federal Medicare standards. Investigators substantiated seven of them, citing deficiencies in infection control, sanitizing practices, expired patient care supplies and hospital governance. Steam sterilizers weren't cleaned to standard, reusable instruments weren't properly cleaned, and a May inspection of five instrument trays turned up problems with four, including white residue, water stains and, in one tray, flakes of plastic.

The report also took the hospital's board of directors to task for failing to provide oversight.

Los Robles submitted a correction plan, and spokesperson Megan Merino said a follow-up state and federal survey in August "identified no major deficiencies." The hospital has not been fined or penalized, she said. Hospital officials declined an interview with the *Star*.

The nurses' union isn't satisfied. SEIU Local 121RN, which is in the middle of contract negotiations with Los Robles operator HCA Healthcare, said its members had reported unsterile procedures at the hospital since late 2025, and called the findings evidence of a "shocking disregard for patient safety."

"Ultimately, CDPH issued a plan of correction, but no fine," union executive director Rosanna Mendez said. "Financial penalties are a strong deterrent against failing to meet the standard of care."