Infection Rates on the Decline in Connecticut Hospitals
Hartford Courant, May 11, 2012
The Hartford Courant reported on hospitals across Connecticut successfully lowering the number of patients acquiring hospital infections during their stays.
A recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that rates for all four types of hospital-acquired infections that were tracked dropped from 2009 to 2010.
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections declined by 33 percent.
MRSA infections declined by 18 percent. - Surgical-site infections declined by 10 percent.
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections declined by 7 percent.
The state passed a law in 2006 requiring all hospitals to report infections resulting from patient stays. The state Department of Public Health compiled its first report of hospital infections last year, covering the period from Oct. 1, 2009, to Sept. 20, 2010. Connecticut hospitals’ bloodstream infections have dropped in roughly equal measure to the national average.
Of the 30 Connecticut hospitals included in the report, most had results listed as “in the expected range.” Three achieved “better than expected” and seven had numbers too small to make a meaningful comparison. Of those that had high enough numbers to calculate, Norwalk Hospital and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport recorded no infections. Yale-New Haven Hospital had the highest number of infections, at 11, but it also had the highest patient volume.
The state previously focused only on what’s known as central line-associated bloodstream infections. That’s when a port catheter — a tube that’s inserted into the body for medical purposes — introduces bacteria directly into the bloodstream. More recently, the state began compiling data on infections that result from the use of catheters for draining urinary tracts.
Dr. Rocco Orlando, chief medical officer for Hartford HealthCare, said that a more judicious use of catheters has gone a long way toward reducing infections.
- May 11, 2012
- Posted by Jamie
