Children’s Hospital-Linked Infections Fall Sharply
CHICAGO (AP) — A new study suggests efforts to improve patient safety and reduce preventable health care linked infections in hospitals are meeting with success, especially for children.
The study of 174 U.S. hospitals in 39 states finds steep declines in dangerous infections sometimes transmitted through treatments in intensive care units.
The study published in Pediatrics involved infections spread through breathing machines and central lines — intravenous catheters used long-term to deliver medicine or fluids deep into the bloodstream. The devices can be contaminated with bacteria and other germs through various lax hygiene practices like not washing hands.
The study found declines between 2007 and 2012. For central line infections, the rate dropped from just under five infections per 1,000 days of use to about one. For ventilator infections, it fell from just under two per 1,000 days to less than one.
(Story by: The Associated Press)
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