Thousands of patients each year contract serious infections – often fatal – while they are hospitalized or treated at other health care facilities.

In a 2006 Pennsylvania survey it was reported that 19,154 patients suffered infections contracted while in hospitals, with 2,478 dying as a result of those infections.

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Nationally, a study released in October 2007 found that an estimated 94,360 patients annually in the United States develop an invasive infection and nearly one in five, or 18,650, die as a result. The number of deaths exceeds those caused by HIV/AIDS or homicides each year.

The study of 2005 cases of methacillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, a virulent drug-resistant bacteria, found that 85 percent of invasive infections were associated with health care treatment, including those contracted at facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. The study confirmed previous research that indicated long-term care centers are "breeding grounds" for infection. Concern has also grown that MRSA, also known as the "superbug," has spread to other community-based facilities, such as schools and gyms. Schools in Bedford County, Virginia, closed after a student there died of a staph infection. (Full story.)

If you or someone you love contracted a hospital infection that resulted in serious illness, injury or death, you may want to contact a hospital infections attorney today.

The survey of 168 hospitals was conducted by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, an independent state agency, and included a study of 1.6 million patient hospitalizations. The survey results were released Nov. 14, 2006. (Click here to read an article about the survey.)

The survey looked at four types of hospital infections. They were bloodstream infections from IVs, ventilator-associated pneumonia, urinary tract infections from catheters and infections at surgical sites.

The council's executive director, Marc P. Volavka, was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer as saying that "every patient that enters a hospital is at risk for a hospital-acquired infection.

He said such infections are the result of "flawed processes" of care and hygiene. Indeed, a major cause of infection was noted as poor handwashing by hospital personnel.

Kline & Specter, P.C. is based in Philadelphia and has some 30 attorneys, several of whom are also experienced doctors. The law firm has had success litigating medical malpractice lawsuits in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and nationwide. (See our Major Victories.) For a free evaluation of your case, contact a hospital infection lawyer today for a free evaluation of your case.

• The community-acquired MRSA, or “superbug,” infection appears to have evolved from a single ancestor, researchers say. The infection has become widespread in the United States and is a leading cause of skin and soft-tissue disease in otherwise healthy people. (Full story)
  
  
• Infections at the site of breast surgeries are fairly common, adding to the length of hospital stays and thousands of dollars to the cost of procedures. (Full story)
   
• Officials in Michigan issue an alert that a doctor may have routinely reused sutures, syringes, scalpels and gloves without following sterilization procedures, possibly infecting as many as 10,000 people. (Full story)*
  
  
• Nassau County health officials report another positive test for hepatitis among patients of a Long Island anesthesiologist whose faulty infection-control practices put hundreds of people at risk. The doctor has settled 10 medical malpractice lawsuits in the last 10 years.(Full story)
  
  
• The first doctor to treat the Brooklyn middle-schooler killed by the MRSA "superbug" has been sued twice for medical malpractice in cancer misdiagnoses cases.(Full story)
  
  
• Scotland study finds that focusing more attention on cleaning door handles and other frequently-touched surfaces in hospitals may reduce spread of MRSA beyond simply washing hands. (Full story)
  
  
• Nearly 19,000 people died in the United States in 2005 after being infected with virulent drug-resistant bacteria that have spread rampantly through hospitals and nursing homes, according to the most thorough study of the disease’s prevalence ever conducted. (Full story)*
  
  
• In a significant policy change, Bush administration officials say that Medicare will no longer pay the extra costs of treating preventable errors, injuries and infections that occur in hospitals, a move they say could save lives and millions of dollars. (Full story)*
  
  
• Radio Interview: Tom Kline on hospital errors, KYW-AM 8/20/07
  
  
• British Hospitals to ban doctors' ties, white coats to reduce the spread of infections. (Full story)*
  
  
• Hospital infections' cost tallied In a first, a report broke down 19,154 cases in Pa. last year. (Full story)*
  
  
• Tom kline talks about hospital infections on Fox News (Watch clip)

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