February 18th, 2011

Penn Medicine reports:

PHILADELPHIA — As many as 70% of certain cases of healthcare-acquired infections may be preventable with current evidence-based strategies according to a new study by Craig A. Umscheid, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Evidence-based Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Healthcare-acquired infections are infections that occur during a hospitalization and that are not present prior to hospital admission.

Using estimates from national reports and published studies related to healthcare-acquired infections, the study suggests that if best practices in infection control were applied at all US hospitals, reducing the number of cases of catheter-associated bloodstream infections could save as many as 5,520-20,239 lives annually; for ventilator-associated pneumonia, 13,667- 19,782 lives annually; for catheter-associated urinary tract infections, 2,225-9,031 lives annually; and for surgical site infections, 2,133-4,431 lives annually.

Read the full story: Up to 70% of Healthcare-Acquired Infections can be Prevented, According to Penn Experts