Bacteria Linked To Device For Open-Heart Surgery Caused Infections For 3 LA Patients
The heater-cooler devices have a tank containing water that is not intended to come into contact with the patient, but if the water is contaminated, the bacteria can become aerosolized in the operating room and enter a patient’s open chest cavity.
Los Angeles Times:
At Least Three L.A. County Patients Infected After Heart Surgeries
Los Angeles County health officials said Wednesday that at least three heart surgery patients at a hospital have been sickened by a dangerous bacteria linked to an operating room device. Officials are now investigating a fourth patient infection at another hospital that may also be linked to the device, said Benjamin Schwartz, acting director of the county’s acute communicable disease control program. (Petersen, 2/1)
Previous CHL coverage: Deadly Infections Linked To Heart Surgery Device Highlight Holes In FDA Monitoring
In other news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Infection Rates At SD Hospitals Draw Criticism
San Diego County hospitals are among 159 statewide under fire from a national advocacy group for having high preventable infection rates, a criticism that is made more pressing by the revelation that some facilities are not getting inspected every three years as required by state law. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of product research magazine Consumer Reports, recently filed a petition with the California Department of Public Health that was highly critical of how the regulatory agency uses the data that is collected and reported every time a patient gets one of several types of hospital-acquired infections.The nonprofit decries what it says is a “firewall” between the department’s infection-tracking and investigation divisions and calls for inspectors to start receiving prompt notification when infection rates spike. (Sisson, 2/1)