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CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF NEW JERSEY Newark, NJ -- Each year more than 2 million people acquire infections while in the hospital and more than 100,000 people are killed by these infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-acquired infections cause as many deaths annually as car accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined. With these statistics in mind, Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has dramatically reduced their hospital-acquired infection rate by instituting some several simple procedures. Jeremias L. Murillo, M.D., Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and the recipient of many awards and honors, has instituted a sweeping set of measures that have slashed infection rates. Fighting Infection Rates Aggressively In an effort to reverse the spread of drug-resistant strains, hospitals are aggressively seeking out potentially dangerous infections. Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center tests every patient for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), even if they show no sign of the infection — a strategy known as active surveillance. MRSA makes up more than 60 percent of hospital staph infections. Over a six month period, testing of all incoming intensive-care patients helped to slash the rate of newly acquired MRSA infections almost to zero. Also, the new system cut the proportion of intensive-care patients carrying the infection to 10 percent from 33 percent. “MRSA has spread rapidly in recent years and the disease may be even more common than previously thought,” says Dr. Murillo. “Our new measures have drastically reduced the spread of this serious infection.” Preventing Infection in the PICU For sick children in any Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), some with compromised immune systems, infection is a severe risk to recovery. According to an article in the medical journal Pediatric Critical Care, 16 percent of children in PICUs acquire infections and infections can increase their risk of death by 20 percent. Children’s Hospital at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is one of 31 National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) member hospitals participating in a program to eradicate central intravenous catheter associated bloodstream infections, the most problematic infectious threat in PICUS. The project is being coordinated by NACHRI, and six months into the three year project has already reduced infection rates in the participating PICU’s by 70 percent. In the NACHRI project, hospitals adhered to rigid guidelines, including standardized care of catheters, sterile precautions and monitoring in order to keep catheters in place and free of infection. The PICU’s have also adopted new measures to prevent urinary tract infections in patients who need bladder catheters. Reducing Infection During Your Hospital Stay Anyone who anticipates a stay in any hospital should know about these measures to reduce infection:
About Children's Hospital Children's Hospital is the state's premier hospital caring for children, with specialized services to treat ill and injured children from newborn to adolescent years as well as preventive programs that promote wellness in the community. The facility provides an atmosphere of caring and warmth that complements the extraordinary medical care that is delivered by medical and surgical specialists who are all dedicated exclusively to children's health. The hospital's comprehensive inpatient and outpatient pediatric services include a licensed cardiac surgery program, state-designated regional perinatal center, pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric emergency department, Neonatal Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/Apnea Center, Valerie Fund Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, neonatal ICU with New Jersey's only ECMO unit, HIV/AIDS treatment for children as well as a sexual and child abuse program. For a referral to a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, DATE: August 7, 2007 CONTACT: Beth Salamon, Public Relations, (973) 322-4926
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