Infections

When you enter a hospital for surgery or another type of procedure, you don’t expect to come out worse than you go in. What makes hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) so scary is that they are frequently fast-moving and uncontrollable.

The following HAIs have featured prominently in the news in recent years:

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: More commonly known as MRSA, this infection is resistant to nearly all antibiotics, including penicillin and amoxicillin. MRSA is most frequently associated with IV sites, artificial joints, and surgical procedures.
• Necrotizing fasciitis: Often described as flesh-eating bacteria, necrotizing fasciitis can quickly ravage a patient’s body. Patients who survive must often undergo dozens of surgeries to remove limbs and organs affected by the bacteria. Necrotizing fasciitis affects between 600 and 700 people every year and has a 30 to 40 percent death rate.
• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae: Known as CRE, this is a family of germs that are highly resistant to standard antibiotics. In recent years, CRE has been closely linked to medical procedures involving duodenoscopes, which are often used to diagnose problems in the mouth, throat, stomach, and small intestine. Because duodenoscopes are notoriously difficult to clean, so-called “superbugs” can thrive in the small parts of these medical devices, even after rigorous cleaning and sterilization. The FDA is actively investigating cases of superbug outbreaks caused by duodenoscopes.
• Clostridium difficile: C. diff is usually a healthy bacteria found in the gut. When it grows out of control, however, it can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly.

Because many HAIs progress with alarming rapidity, it is absolutely critical for medical staff to closely monitor patients after surgery and other medical procedures. Doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals can prevent infections or stop them in their tracks by paying close attention to the signs of infection.