Dangerous hospital stays 91,000 deaths from hospital infections

In the history of surgery, countless patients have died from infections. Only Ignaz Semmelweis introduced the disinfection of hospital staff in maternity hospitals and thus kept the child bed fever in check. Previously, up to 30% of mothers died from it. Even today, hospital infections are an evil. 2.6 million people in Europe suffer from it every year - and 91,000 of them die.

Such diseases are an underestimated risk: pneumonia, blood poisoning such as inflammation of the urethra and infected wounds are among them, according to a study published in Plos Medicine.

Lung infections are among the dangerous after effects that surgery can bring. (Jinga80 / fotolia.com)

And in Germany?
In Germany, Petra Gastmeier of the Charité suspects circa half a million infections per year with around 15,000 dead. One third of the inflammations would be avoidable.

Lost years
According to the study, the infections in the clinics should cost 2.5 million years of life in Europe - per year. This applies explicitly despite basic diseases of the patients.

What are hospital infections?
Hospital infections include infections that a patient receives after at least three days in the clinic, the infections of the first two days are considered as souvenirs.

Negligence of doctors and nurses?
Are the guards guilty? The sisters? The doctors? Catheters and ventilators can easily bring pathogens into the body. This need not be germs from the outside, but also bacteria that store on the skin or in the intestine of the patient. In general, the longer a catheter is, the greater the risk of becoming infected.

Intensive care units are a risk area
Only 3.5% of patients in general care units are infected, but 15% of those in intensive care units. In addition, patients are getting older and thus more vulnerable to infections.

Better methods, but more invasive measures
Although the danger of infection is reduced by new methods such as the key hole surgery, but the number of interventions in the body increases as well as the number of venous catheters. Each one of them is a potential input for pathogens.

What to do?
Infections can best be tackled with trained personnel, but also through economical use of antibiotics. However, infections can not be completely prevented. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)