Actions To Reduce The Risk Of Penetration Of Deadly Hospital Infections Through Catheter

Actions To Reduce The Risk Of Penetration Of Deadly Hospital Infections Through Catheter.
Hospitals across the United States are in a curtail of serious, often dangerous infections from catheters placed in patients' necks, called central stroke catheters, a new report finds. "Health care-associated infections are a significant medical and public strength problem in the United States," Dr Don Wright, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Healthcare Quality in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said during a noontime teleconference Thursday.

Bloodstream infections take place when bacteria from the patient's skin or from the environment get into the blood. "These are severe infections that can cause death," said Dr Arjun Srinivasan, the associate director for Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Programs in CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.

Central lines can be powerful conduits for these infections, he said. These lines are typically withdrawn for the sickest patients and are usually inserted into the eleemosynary blood vessels of the neck. Once in place, they are used to provide medications and ease monitor patients. "It has been estimated that there are approximately 1,7 million health care-associated infections in hospitals unescorted each and every year, resulting in 100000 lives lost and an additional $30 billion in fettle care costs," Wright said.

In 2009, HHS started a program aimed at eliminating trim care-related infections, the experts said. One goal: to cut central speciality infections by 50 percent by 2013. To this end, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday released its example update on the progress so far.