Berlin gut germs not the cause of premature birth

Hospital germs not cause for the death of the baby at the Berlin Charité. After the death of a heart-sick premature baby, who had been referred from the Charité to the operation in the German Heart Center in Berlin, initially came the suspicion that an infection with so-called Serratia germs could have caused the death of the baby. However, according to the prosecution, this suspicion has not been confirmed in the course of the forensic examinations.

31.10.2012

The cardiac baby was indeed infected with the Serratia germ, but according to the prosecutor in Berlin is due to the autopsy results to assume that the intestinal germ has not caused the death of the child. The cause of death was rather the "previous highly complicated and risky operation," the prosecutor reported on Wednesday. However, "further investigations into the death of the child are still pending and also the investigation for negligent assault is still ongoing".

Preemie died of OP of natural causes
At the beginning of October, the heart-broken baby had died after an operation in the German Heart Center in Berlin. The preemie had previously been proven to be infected with Serratia bacteria. In the meantime, there was considerable excitement at first, because the child's body could not be found and a forensic examination was therefore impossible. The child was already buried on 12 October and had to be exhumed on 29 October for the autopsy. The forensic examination has now clarified the cause of death of the seriously ill baby. Accordingly, the infection with the intestinal germs was not the reason for the death of the child, but the baby „has died after a highly complicated and risky operation of natural causes“, so the message of the prosecutor.

Intestinal germs do not cause the death of the infant
Karl Max Einhäupl, Chief Executive Officer of the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, had already excluded a connection between the death of the infant and the infection with Serratia bacteria last Friday. The infant had suffered from a severe heart defect and his poor chances of survival should be improved by the operation. Although successful in itself, the condition worsened dramatically thereafter. The life-sustaining heart-lung machine was therefore shut down in agreement with the parents. A connection of the death with the subsequently detected Serratia infection could now be safely excluded.

More than 20 babies infected with germs
However, the infections of several patients with the quite dangerous hospital germs can not be denied. More than twenty babies are affected but, according to the clinics, they are currently showing a stable state of health. For premature babies weighing 1,500 grams or less, Serratia infections can become life-threatening. Therefore, the prosecutor investigates Berlin due to the infection on suspicion of negligent assault. Meanwhile, the search for possible sources of infection continues at the Berlin Charité and the German Heart Center. Whether and how the children could have been infected in the pre-school intensive care units of the hospital has not yet been conclusively clarified.

Politics is pushing for enlightenment
On the part of politicians too, the pressure on those responsible at the Berlin Charité for a comprehensive explanation of the infections is growing. The Berlin Senator for Science, Sandra Scheeres (SPD), asked for a special session of the Supervisory Board, at which the Charité leadership should answer questions. An appointment is scheduled for mid-November. However, it remains uncertain whether new details on possible infection routes within the hospital can be announced by then.

Hospital germs at preemie stations a significant risk
In fact, infections with so-called hospital germs have been a problem more often in preterm stations in recent years. For example, repeated infections of preemies with multidrug-resistant pathogens of the genus Klebsiella were found in the center of Bremen-Mitte, which resulted in the death of several children. For months, the hospital could not identify and eliminate the source of infection despite extensive hygiene and disinfection measures as well as multiple ward closures. The spread of such pathogens in the clinics and especially in the preemie stations is therefore always a very serious problem. (Fp)

Also read:
Intestinal germ infection: death lists and fine
Premature: intestinal germ infection in the heart center
Severe attack on Charité gynecologists
Charité: No hygiene deficiencies due to germ contamination

Picture: N. Schmitz