Hygiene The Klinikum Kassel is undergoing surgery again

Again operations at the Klinikum Kassel: Is the hygiene scandal thus over?

07.02.2011

After a scandal over contaminated surgical instruments, the hospital in Kassel is now undergoing limited surgery again. Become with borrowed surgical instruments „a handful of predictable measures“ conducted a spokeswoman for the hospital. Since the announcement of the hygiene deficiencies in surgical cutlery, Klinikum Kassel had canceled all planned operations and only performed emergency procedures. Starting today, the first scheduled operations will be carried out again. According to the spokeswoman for the clinic, the fact that the surgery can not be resumed in full is due to the limited number of available instruments.

Operations with the help of borrowed instruments
Since the central sterilization of the Klinikum Kassel was closed immediately after the finds of contaminated surgical instruments, the clinic had to borrow surgical instruments from other houses or was replaced by the manufacturers. With the help of these instruments, according to the clinic spokeswoman, the surgical operation should gradually be normalized. In the past few days, only about ten emergency operations per day took place, it was said by the hospital. In order to return to normal operation, however, a rapid reopening of the central sterilization is also required, since the loaned operating instruments are not sufficient in the long run. The own sterilization devices were therefore according to the statement of the „Health Nordhessen AG“, which belongs to the Klinikum Kassel, already checked and work properly. So those responsible hope to return to everyday life as quickly as possible.

Hessian hygiene regulation planned
The accumulation of hygiene deficiencies in Hessian clinics - within a few weeks first in Fulda and then in Kassel - prepares not only the responsible hospital management headaches, but also the policy is forced to provide more for the hygiene in the Hessian clinics. The Minister of Social Affairs of the state, Stefan Grüttner (CDU) called for more intensive controls on hospitals and nursing homes as well as better training of health care professionals ... In terms of safety „The clinics need to be checked more frequently“, emphasized the Minister of Social Affairs. In addition, Grüttner also announced the introduction of a hygiene ordinance, as they have long been calling for the Greens. In addition to the improved controls and the more intensive training of hygienists in care and technology, the Hygiene Ordinance will include regulations on the general hygiene structure in the Hessian clinics, explained Grüttner.

Hygiene deficiencies lead to an increased number of infections
The need for action is demonstrated not only by the current findings of contaminated surgical instruments in Fulda and Kassel, but also by the significantly higher number of hospital infections worldwide. In Germany, according to the health authorities, significantly more people are infected with hospitalization than, for example, the Netherlands or the Scandinavian states. In particular, the multiresistant pathogens MRSA, which are immune to all common antibiotics, constitute a growing problem in the opinion of the experts. For example, the German Society for Hospital Hygiene (DGKH) has repeatedly pointed out that the hygiene deficiencies in hospitals throughout Germany cause a steadily increasing number of MRSA infections. According to the DGKH expert Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, the introduction of a uniform hygiene regulation would be an important step in the right direction here. (Fp)

Also read:
Hessian hygiene regulation later this year?
Klinikum Kassel: surgical instruments were sterile
Again contaminated surgical cutlery in Hesse
Contaminated surgical instruments at the Fulda Hospital
Every tenth hospital treatment hurts

Picture: Martin Büdenbender