Hospital Infection Rates Decreasing

There is good news on the subject of hospital acquired infections —new CDC data shows a significant decline in rates.  For 2010, the CDC is reporting:

There is good news on the subject of hospital acquired infections —new CDC data shows a significant decline in rates.  For 2010, the CDC is reporting:

• A 33 percent reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections: a 35 percent reduction among critical care patients and a 26 percent reduction among non-critical care patients. A central line is a tube that is placed in a large vein of a patient’s neck or chest to give important medical treatment. When not put in correctly or kept clean, central lines can become a freeway for germs to enter the body and cause serious bloodstream infections.
• A 7 percent reduction in catheter-associated urinary tract infections throughout hospitals
• A 10 percent reduction in surgical site infections
• An 18 percent reduction in the number of people developing health care-associated invasive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections

A detailed summary of the infection data reported by CDC is available on the HHS website.

For more on this subject visit some of my prior posts, such as, CA reporting surgical site infections and Teaming up against HAI .