High numbers of hospital and surgical infections

One great area of concerns for all patients concern surgical site infections due to surgical errors. Though there has been a decline of infections in Pennsylvania hospitals that have cropped up during a patient’s hospital stay, such infections remain a major concern as nearly 99,000 patients across the country die every year due to this condition.

Surgical site infections are the most common type of infections associated with a hospital stay. A number of procedures have resulted in surgical site infections including peripheral vascular bypass surgery, colon and rectal surgeries, hernia surgery, liver surgery and pancreas and bile duct surgeries.

Surgeries to the abdomen are the most common type to result in infection, but urinary tract infections are also quite common. The chances of infection are always higher when something from outside of the body such as a catheter is introduced to the inside of the body.

Since such infections cause so many problems for patients being hospitalized and since patients are going to the hospital to get better and not worse, physicians and medical care providers need to do all that they can to prevent such infections. If a patient feels that such providers have not done everything they could to prevent this and such an infection does crop up, such patients would be strongly advised to consult with attorneys accustomed to dealing with hospital related claims.

With increased use of antibiotics and ever evolving improvement in hospital hygiene, most hospital type infections should not be occurring. However, use of antibiotics is often tricky and physicians need to be trained concerning when, where and how to use such medications. Also, patients should be instructed on how to recognize if such an infection does occur. There are a number of steps that can be taken by medical providers to prevent such infections from happening during a hospital stay.

Source: The Sentinel, “Infection rates down at hospitals,” by Naomi Creason, Feb. 24, 2012