Did someone say Germ outbreak in L.A.?
You remember this one, don't you? :O)
Posted on 12/16/2006 4:07:02 AM PST by Esther Ruth
Germ Outbreak Reported at L.A. Hospital Dec 16 1:32 AM US/Eastern
A hospital has closed its neonatal and pediatrics intensive care units to new admissions after a potentially fatal bacterium sickened seven children, including an infant who may have died from the infection, officials said Friday. White Memorial Medical Center shut down the neonatal unit on Dec. 4 following an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, hospital officials said.
The germ is believed to have infected five babies in the unit since it was detected on Nov. 30, said Dr. Laurene Mascola, director of the county's acute communicable disease control unit. One of the infants died, likely because of the pathogen, she said.
On Friday, the hospital shuttered the pediatrics intensive care ward after discovering the bacterium had infected an infant and a toddler there, Dr. Rosalio Lopez, the hospital's chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Officials say they've identified the source of the outbreak _ a medical instrument called a laryngoscope used to inspect an infant's larynx _ and don't believe there is a danger to other babies.
Though common, the germ is particularly virulent in those with weak immune systems such as newborns who are premature or critically ill.
You would think they would clean that instrument before sticking it down 5 infants throats wouldnt you?
Why wasnt it sterilised?
I am sorry for your loss, but C. diff is not a Staph infection.
That was my question. Scary.
Oh my Lord. So sorry for your loss. No such thing as a routine procedure really.
What is it then? I looked it up at the CDC in Atlanta and I thought they categorized as such? Regardless it was a painful death.
That was my question. Scary.
They aren't something you routinely sterilize. They're used to force back the tongue so a breathing tube can be inserted, the scope itself isn't really that invasive. They should be cleaned well though before being put back into service after being used and it sounds like somebody didn't do that an probably contaminated the other laryngoscope blades in the box they're kept in.
Unfortunately, spending to meet those requirements is not reimbursable - that is to say, the Feds require it, but they don't pay for it.
Some hospital boards "get it" and have reasonably-funded IC programs. Some don't, and have programs that pass inspection but don't do much else except get ready for the next one.
There doesn't seem to be much that can be done to bring type-2 hospitals into type-1 status.
The latest trend is required reporting of infection rates to the public - Pennsylvania has done this, and eager politicians in the other 49 states are hot on the trail.
This, however, is a sham, since no state has proposed spending money on calculating these rates or inspecting IC programs to check the validity of their data.
Therefore (this is not hard to figure out), hospitals with good programs have the highest rates (since they are looking for infections and correcting problems) and hospitals with bad programs have low rates (since they don't look for infections and don't want to know about problems).
More excellence from centrally-administered price controls and regulations.
Usually, it is kept in check by other, normal intestinal bacteria. When those normal bacteria are killed by antibiotics, C. difficile can enter into a fast growth phase, produce its toxin, and do a lot of damage.
There is a new strain of C. difficile which is epidemic in some areas that produces more toxin, which toxin may be of a more lethal nature (research in progress).
Control of C. difficile in hospitals is difficult and expensive.
Needless to say, Federal and state health care programs don't reimburse hospitals for control measures, so the willingness of the average hospital administrator to pony up for prevention is somewhat limited.
What a heartbreak
She didn't say staph she said staff which means it was because the staff didn't do their jobs properly :)
YOu said staff not staph anyway, it was caused by the staff not doing job properly perhaps now all washing hands enough major reason for infections
My father is a physician of the Old School (ret.), who taught me to avoid surgery unless it's critical. So my broken bones haven't healed with aesthetic perfection . . . but neither have I heard someone say "I'm afraid there's a complication, or that "99 times out of a 100, this doesn't happen."
No, I don't set my bones myself. :)
Perhaps it might be a good idea now to make it something you routinely sterilise.
It wouid be interesting to know how many "foreign born" personnel were working at the time. It is not unusual in many third world countries to keep using the same equipment without sterilization or cleaning.
Did someone say Germ outbreak in L.A.?
You remember this one, don't you? :O)
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