ICU infections common around the globe
Hospital infections can be deadly. In fact, preventable infections are among the top 10 causes of death in the U.S., according to the CDC.
And while much attention has been given to the topic of late, infection rates are still high worldwide, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In a study of 14,000 patients in intensive care units in 75 countries, half had infections, the study found. The more time patients spent in the ICU, the more likely they were to get an infection. And patients with infections were more likely to die than those without.
Specifically, patients who stayed in the ICU for up to a day had an infection rate of 32 percent. That figure jumped to 70 percent for patients with an ICU stay of more than a week, the team of international researchers found. Wow. Infected patients had twice the mortality rate than those not infected -- 25 percent vs. 11 percent.
The issue is serious. Consider that infections are the leading cause of death in non-cardiac ICUs -- mortality rate is 60 percent and such complications account for 40 percent of ICU spending.
Gains have been made in this country on the issue -- here's one recent story out of Boston. And closer to home, Johns Hopkins safety guru Dr. Peter Pronovost developed an award-winning five step program to combat them.
And yet, serious problems remain, the authors write.
Baltimore Sun photo
