Hospital infections Hospital-acquired infections (also known as healthcare associated infections) are complications that can occur as a result of medical treatment and are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses. Some of these micro-organisms can be found in the environment, and some live normally within the body.
What are hospital-acquired infections?
Hospital-Acquired Infections, known as HAIs, are a group of common bacteria, fungal, and viral pathogens causing nosocomial infections (infections in a hospital setting) HAIs can occur in immunocompromised individuals, those who are elderly, have undergone major surgery, chemotherapy, or with other conditions that decrease immunity.
What is the most common cause of hospital acquired infections?
The causal factors for Hospital-Acquired Infections are dependent upon the type of organism that causes the infection. Common pathogens causing HAIs include: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Clostridium difficile (c. diff) Staphylococcus aureus. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) Norovirus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
What is the definition of a health care associated infection?
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Health care-associated infections (HCAIs) are infections that occur while receiving health care, developed in a hospital or other health care facility that first appear 48 hours or more after hospital admission, or within 30 days after having received health care.
What is a surgical site infection?
When these infections happen at the site of surgery they are referred to as Surgical Site Infections (SSI). These types of infections are typically treated with one or more IV antibiotics.
What type of infections develop in hospitalized patients?
These infections include catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and Clostridium difficile infections.
What is the most common infection in hospital?
13 most common healthcare-associated infectionsPneumonia: 21.8 percent of all healthcare-associated infections.Surgical-site infection: 21.8 percent.Gastrointestinal infection: 17.1 percent.Urinary tract infection: 12.9 percent.Primary bloodstream infections: 9.9 percent.More items...•
Which are the most common types of infections in hospital setting?
Common types of hospital-acquired infectionsCentral line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)Surgical site infections.Clostridium difficile.Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)Surgical site infection (SSI)
What are infections as a result of a medical facility called?
Healthcare-Acquired Infections ( HAIs ), sometimes called Healthcare-Associated Infections, are infections that you get while receiving treatment at a healthcare facility, like a hospital, or from a healthcare professional, like a doctor or nurse.
What are the 4 types of infections?
The four different categories of infectious agents are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. When studying these agents, researchers isolate them using certain characteristics: Size of the infectious agent.
What causes infection in hospital?
The most well-known healthcare-associated infections, for which mandatory reporting is currently required, include those caused by meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Clostridium difficile (C difficile) and Escherichia coli (E coli).
What are the three most common hospital-acquired infections?
These healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) include central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
What is the most common infection?
According to current statistics, hepatitis B is the most common infectious disease in the world, affecting some 2 billion people -- that's more than one-quarter of the world's population.
What is nosocomial infection example?
Some of the common nosocomial infections are urinary tract infections, respiratory pneumonia, surgical site wound infections, bacteremia, gastrointestinal and skin infections.
What is endogenous infection?
Endogenous infections are caused by an overgrowth of organisms that are normally present in the genital tract. One example of an endogenous infection is bacterial vaginosis. Iatrogenic infections may be introduced into the reproductive tract by medical procedures.
What is hospital acquired infection?
A hospital-acquired infection is any infection—bac terial, viral, or fungal—that a patient did not have before arriving in the hospital and picks up during a stay. The most common types of infection are blood stream infections, gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, especially ventilator-assisted pneumonia, urinary tract infections, ...
What are the consequences of acquiring an infection in the hospital?
The consequences of acquiring an infection in the hospital can be very serious, which is why some people turn to malpractice cases to get compensation. The complications of an infection depend on the type of infection and the health of the patient. Infections may be mild and easily treatable, but they may also be severe and deadly.
Why are there so few malpractice cases against hospitals?
There are very few cases of successful malpractice cases against hospitals for infections because they are hard to prove. There are some standout cases, though, such as one in which a mold outbreak led to the deaths of patients. A mold outbreak at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center led to a handful of deaths caused by infections in transplant patients. Families of those patients filed wrongful death suits because the hospital should have had mold under control in the hospital.
What bacteria are most commonly found in hospitals?
In addition to MRSA, some of the bacteria that most commonly cause hospital infections are other types of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E.
Why are infections less common in hospitals?
Fungal and viral infections are less common. While lack of cleanliness is the ultimate cause of infections in the hospital, there are some risk factors that increase the likelihood a patient will contract an infection: Having been exposed to antibiotics for a long period of time. Having been through shock. Having been in a coma.
Why do families of patients file wrongful death suits?
Families of those patients filed wrongful death suits because the hospital should have had mold under control in the hospital. Because it is so difficult to prove that a hospital or staff members directly breached a duty to care in causing a patient to develop an infection in a hospital, malpractice cases are rare.
Why do people never leave hospital?
Some never leave because of deadly infections contracted while staying in a hospital. From mild, surgical site infections, to severe and fatal sepsis, various types of infections can strike hospital ...
What is a hospital acquired infection?
Hospital-Acquired Infections, known as HAIs, are a group of common bacteria, fungal, and viral pathogens causing nosocomial infections (infections in a hospital setting)
What are the complications of hospital acquired infections?
Complications due to Hospital-Acquired Infections are dependent on the severity of the infection and the overall immune status of the individual. In a susceptible individual, a prolonged infection usually results if the infection travels to the blood stream, causing blood poisoning (septicemia)
What tests are needed to diagnose a hospital acquired infection?
A thorough physical examination, correlated with a complete medical history (including recent surgeries or chemotherapy) can lead to a diagnosis of a Hospital-Acquired Infection. Blood tests, blood cultures, and special studies, to identify the specific pathogen. Special studies may include molecular testing.
How many people in the US get hospital acquired infections?
It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that 2 million individuals in the United States are infected by Hospital-Acquired Infections each year.
How to prevent a nosocomial infection?
In many cases, it is difficult to prevent Nosocomial Infections; but, the most common preventive methods for Hospital-Acquired Infections include: Proper hand washing by healthcare professionals. Early diagnosis and treatment.
What happens if a pathogen infects the lungs?
If the pathogen causes a skin infection, a skin abscess may result. If the pathogen infects the lungs, symptoms of pneumonia are common. If the pathogen affects the heart, symptoms could include rapid heart rate, heart failure, etc.
What is hospital acquired pneumonia?
Hospital-acquired pneumonia is a very serious lung infection that can occur after abdominal or thoracic surgency. As highlighted in this MSD Manual, HAP is caused by certain pathogens, with antibiotic-resistant organisms being of particular concern.
What causes redness in the central line?
Symptoms of a central line-associated bloodstream infection can include fever or chills, with the skin around the central line insertion site turning red and causing the patient discomfort.
What is the most common cause of HAIs?
Clostridium difficile (a common bacterium in the intestine) is considered by the Journal of Global Health to be the leading cause of HAIs in the world, particularly among seniors and hospital patients. This infection occurs when the common bacterium develops into a serious gastrointestinal infection caused by antibiotic therapy and long-term hospitalization. As it’s an individual infection, affected patients will not all exhibit the same symptoms and the infection can only be diagnosed once a stool sample has been sent off for confirmation.
How many diseases are responsible for hospital visits?
In what might be a pretty startling statistic for those who are not part of the health professions, the Centers for Disease Control estimate that just ten different diseases are responsible for a full 84 percent of all hospital visits and all complications among patients once they have been admitted to the hospital.
What is the most common viral infection?
Influenza. Without a doubt, one of the most common and persistent types of viral infection is influenza. The disease comes and goes with varying degrees of potency every year but most medical professionals estimate that between 5 percent and 20 percent of the American population is infected each year.
What is the flu called?
1. Norovirus. Noroviruses are generally called “the flu” by many patients, most of whom believe that the symptoms of the resulting gastroenteritis are somehow linked to influenza itself. Norovirus infections typically result in diarrhea, vomiting, and the long-lasting feeling of an upset stomach. Though these symptoms are exceedingly unpleasant, ...
What is the least invasive disease?
10. Staphylococcus aureus. In what might be the least invasive and least concerning disease commonly found in hospitals, Staphylococcus aureus is actually present in just under one third of the entire population. The condition is associated with negative effects on the skin, as it is typically a skin infection.
How long does it take for staphylococcus to go away?
Treatment with antibiotics is effective in virtually every case, and this less severe form of staphylococcus can be eradicated in just a few days after treatment has commenced.
Why is tuberculosis transmitted in nursing?
Typically, this is because one patient with the disease is simply not isolated from the rest of the hospital’s population.
Where can bacteria be found?
This bacterium is generally known to be the cause of such serious illnesses as leprosy and tuberculosis, and it can be found in any number of compounds. The bacteria have been known to exist in soil, dust, or water, and it has even been known to infect medications and to reside on medical equipment.
Abstract
Health care-associated infections (HCAIs) are infections that occur while receiving health care, developed in a hospital or other health care facility that first appear 48 hours or more after hospital admission, or within 30 days after having received health care.
Background
Health care-associated infections (HCAIs) are those infections that patients acquire while receiving health care.
Brief history
There has been long-standing awareness that the practice of medicine can do harm as well as good.
Prevalence and brief outline of HCAIs
A survey conducted in 183 US hospitals with 11,282 patients reported that 4% of patients had at least one HCAI with the most common microorganism being Clostridium difficile. Most infections were surgical site infections (SSIs), pneumonia, and gastrointestinal infections.
Types of HCAIs
Alongside infections due to cross-contamination between patients and health workers, patients being susceptible to common infections due to diminished immune responses, and infections at surgery sites (SSIs), many HCAIs are due to implants and prostheses.
HCAIs
HCAIs are a major safety concern for both health care providers and patients. They continue to escalate at an alarming rate, especially in emerging economies, with infection rates 3–20 times higher than in high-income countries.
Conclusion
In the early to mid-19th centuries in both Europe and USA, thousands of young women died from puerperal sepsis and fever, the diseases rampant in the charity maternity clinics of the time 188 and, due to the efforts of (among others) Dr Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis and Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes, the fight against puerperal fever was won and it was confirmed that HCAIs were transmitted via the hands of HCWs.
