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Drug-resistant bacterial infections on the rise
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Do you know where that stethoscope has been?
Nearly three out of five patients infected with a drug-resistant bacteria that can survive on hospital curtains, stethoscopes or even your doctor’s tie picked up the disease after being admitted, a study released Monday found.
Drug resistant staphylococcus infections may be far more common than previously thought, according to the study released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
“It needs to be a wake-up call for our health care workers across the country, from the [chief executive officers] and administration down to the people cleaning the rooms,” association CEO Kathy Warye said. “Each one of them has a role to play.”
Nearly 5 percent of all nursing home, rehabilitation center and hospital patients either have a drug resistant staph infection or are carrying the bacteria on their skin, the APIC survey found. Of those, 63 percent were of types not usually seen outside of hospital settings.
Strong leadership is needed at every hospital to identify infections and threats specific to their facilities and respond accordingly, Warye said.
“We would really like to see infection prevention and control be higher on their radar screens,” she said.
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus areus (MRSA) is not affected by many common front-line antibiotics and it can cause skin, soft-tissue, blood and urinary tract infections, and pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can be deadly for people with compromised immune systems or recovering from disease or medical procedures.
At Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center, where all intensive care unit patients are routinely screened, the survey results were no surprise.
About 10 percent of ICU patients with no known risk factors or previous infections are found to be MRSA positive, infection control chief Dr. Ronald Geckler said.
“We wouldn’t be finding those patients if we weren’t screening,” he said.
The survey did not break down information to the state or individual hospital level because that data could be misinterpreted or misleading, lead researcher Dr. William Jarvis said.
Hospitals that have higher rates of infection are likely to be those starting to take active measures to detect and prevent infections, he said. And while the survey covered more than 1,200 hospitals, or one in five nationwide, state-level response varied from one to 99 institutions reporting, making that data less reliable.
U.MD. Medical center taking action
Protecting patients: One hospital’s fight against the superbug:
The University of Maryland Medical Center, like many hospitals in the region, has a comprehensive screening program in place to identify patients carrying or infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus areus.
Highlights of their screening program include:
» A nasal-swab test gives rapid results within hours.
» All patients admitted to all nine intensive care units are tested upon admission, one week later and upon discharge.
» All patients admitted who have been in another hospital or health care facility within the past year or who have a skin infection are also screened.
» Those who test positive are isolated and health care workers use “contact precautions” including gloves and gowns to prevent the spread of the organism.
– Karl B. Hille
khille@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
11:13 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008 re: "Medical center faces tough choices"
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Albert Franklin said:
However, when the County chooses to address the $2 billion dollars Jerry Brown bilked from them in a meaningful manner, then this should all become most academic!
16 agree | 14 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As an employee of SF General Hospital's psych dept., where none of us wear uniforms nor have lines on the floor that patients can't cross and where we train patients to take better care of themselves (including the activities of daily living such as nutrition, personal hygeine and the like), I am a bit mystified by John Nickens' comments. Has he been in a hospital in the past 20 years or so?
55 agree | 43 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I love the fact that they are turning Dore Alley (not Street) from an iconic Gay area into another crazy person magnet in the already crazy SOMA. Last year a doorman at the Powerhouse came to the defense of a patron being attacked by a nut-job housed across the street (along door alley) by another "non" profit. The police arrested the DOORMAN for gods sake, and the Powerhouse had to hold fundraisers to pay his legal expenses. Why is the City being allowed to take our great SOMA neighborhood and turn it into another Tenderloin? How sad.
50 agree | 39 disagree
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jacksmith said:
Insurance mandates are not universal health care. And politicians should stop calling it that. Nothing is Universal Health Care except "Single Payer Not For Profit Tax Supported Government Managed Health Care" (HR 676). Insurance mandates will be worse than what you have now. And what you have now is a complete, and total disgrace, and horror show. Insurance mandates will (require) you to buy insurance from the private insurance companies that have been ripping you off, and killing you by the thousands.
100 agree | 83 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
know of a guy who came here for a couple of years and got on the welfare medical roles in san francisco and had major surgery done to a problem eye he was born with in Mexico, had the work done at taxpayer expense and moved back to Mexico permanently. Wow and I can't even get medical insurance without breaking the bank.
87 agree | 67 disagree
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Jeff, an Independent said:
I wonder how many Illegal Aliens are going to exploit this...
112 agree | 111 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The sheep want to give O'Malley a health care victory.
110 agree | 110 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Another rash decision by the immature Ulman. You are going to have people move to Howard County just for the free medical insurance. That'll be good for the tax base. Ulman was "Secretary of the Cabinet" under Glendening, the worst MD governor in the last 30 years. Under Ulman's Cabinet leadership, Glendening created a structural deficit that we deal with still today. Ulman deserves the blame for this. Now we are going to support another big-government idea from him? Unless, of course, Ulman wasn't really "Secretary of the Cabinet" under Glendening. But that would mean he would have lied about his resume, which can't be the case.
128 agree | 117 disagree
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Stephanie Shantz said:
I'm sorry for going on and on, but if Dr. Renold Keyser wouldn' have told my parents what he found I would not be here today. It began when I was 6 months, then a different tumor when I was 5 years old. Dr. Howard Lederman was my Dr. at JHH, both are my angels. Even though I have lasting effects, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them both. Dr. Renold Keyser is from Hagerstown MD, I love them both and Dr. Howard Lederman is from JHH. Dr. Alex Hollar did my surgery, he was chief of surgery back then. I still keep in contact w both dr's. I was given a second chance. So if anyone that reads this has any doubt about their sickness Please go to JHH. They will save ur life. I'm now 26 yrs. old and doing great because of them. My email is sshantz123@yahoo.com if u have any questions or would just like to talk. I enjoy helping people and trying to give back what was given to me. Dr. Cindy Swartz was also a big help, however she's not there anymore, she moved to NY and is now the d
481 agree | 206 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Could this be the begining of the end. Med companies will probably buy up the Patents to save their income. How can we stop them?
307 agree | 550 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The below site has great information about hyperhidrosis and its treatments. They also offer Free brochures and a Free e-newsletter. www.SweatHelp.org
347 agree | 313 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Perhaps Miss Lietz should read the harvard medical school study that came out this march stating Indoor tanning prevents melonoma cancer, thats the Dana -Farber cancer institute, Miss Lietz was scheldued in Annapolis to address this at a legistative meeting she did not show, thats www.dana-farber.org
368 agree | 331 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I doubt that Miss Lietz will be telling the students about the Harvard Medical School's Dana Farber Cancer Institute study that concluded "Tanning Protects Against Skin Cancer." Miss Lietz should stop blaming herself for getting skin cancer. She should know by now that nothing she did caused her to get the disease. It's genetic. Tanning didn't cause it. Tanning salons are not to blame. The fact of the matter is, moderate tanning is healthy behavior. It prevents more diseases by the processing of vitamin D3. It's time for Miss Lietz to go back to Nursing School. She has a lot to learn.
382 agree | 318 disagree
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