Hospital Infections All Too Pervasive
Government officials say problematic health infections from hospital stays are rampant, and something must be changed quickly because the problem is severe.
Hospital infections cost nearly $20 billion every year, they kill around 99,000 people, and affect 1.7 million patients.
The leading cause of urinary infection stems from improper use and placement of catheters.
The Health and Human Services Department jump-started a new plan to reduce hospital infections.
The most common causes of infections linked with hospitals are surgical site infections, bloodstream infections from intravenous lines and pneumonia from ventilators, HHS said in the report.
"Infections associated with Clostridium difficile and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) also contribute significantly to the overall problem," the report reads.
The Health Department recommended hospitals should only use catheters when appropriate and only as long as needed to avoid problems. The report found nursing homes improperly use catheters to manage incontinent patients.
The government advises health workers to not remove hair before surgery unless it will directly interfere with the operation.
They recommend hospitals should control blood sugar in diabetic patients, use ventilation only as needed, and keep operating room doors closed during surgery.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coincidentally announced Tuesday that failure to follow infection control practices had put more than 60,000 patients at risk for hepatitis B and C during the past 10 years.
In the Annals of Internal Medicine the CDC reported that health care workers re-used syringes or let blood contaminate drugs, equipment and devices.
"Thousands of patients are needlessly exposed to viral hepatitis and other preventable diseases in the very places where they should feel protected," wrote Dr. John Ward, director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis.
"No patient should go to their doctor for health care only to leave with a life-threatening disease."
—
Image Caption: C. difficile, an anaerobic gram-positive rod, is the most frequently identified cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAC). It accounts for approximately 15-25% of all episodes of AAC. (CDC)
—
On the Net: