Hospital Infections on the Rise

Former New York Lieutenant Governor and founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, Betsy McCaughey, recently wrote an article for the New York Times criticizing the Center for Disease Control’s new guidelines to prevent hospital infections. McCaughey points out that while the guidelines suggest how to prevent the accidental transfer of H.I.V and AIDS, the guidelines do not offer any suggestions for the prevention of drug resistant Staph infections.

McCaughey’s main point is that while prevention of H.I.V. and AIDS is important, transmittal of those diseases requires the exchange of bodily fluids. In contrast, Staph infections can be transferred through contact of regular hospital activity by something as common as a stethoscope. Moreover, Staph infections can kill people within days and its diagnosis and treatment costs less and is less invasive than that of H.I.V. of AIDS.

The major danger with hospital Staph infections is their resilience. 60% of Staph infections are drug resistant. McCaughey points out that many other healthcare systems in countries like Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands have drastically reduced the infection rate in hospitals. However, unlike the United States, healthcare in those countries is a not for-profit business. In the United States healthcare is based on profits. Doctors are encouraged by hospitals and insurance companies to reduce the number of diagnostic tests ordered; this reduces the costs incurred by the businesses. Each year, roughly 1.7 million Americans get drug-resistant Staph infections from hospitals. It is estimated that it costs $30 billion each year to treat hospital infections. There are an estimated 100,000 deaths from hospital infections each year in the United States.

Ironically, the insurance companies accuse lawyers for the rise in healthcare costs. However, if the insurance companies would do more to encourage more testing, hospital infections would decrease. This would result in a decrease in the number of medical malpractice and failure to diagnose lawsuits and their associated costs. The following is a list of the most common forms of lethal Staph infection found in hospital patients:

Methicllin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – This strain has been in the news recently and is responsible for 120,000 hospital infections each year.

Clostridium difficile – This infection is often fatal and its symptoms include diarrhea.

Psedomonas aeruginosa – This lethal strain causes respiratory distress and is responsible for almost 20% of reported cases of patients acquiring pneumonia while in hospital care.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) – 10% of hospital infections are a result of this strain. This strain usually targets the urinary tract and open wounds.