Clinic does not get germs under control

Newborn in Jena infected with bacteria

23/10/2013

At the children's intensive care unit of the hospital „Motherhouse of the Borromean women“ Trier is currently treating six preterm infants who are colonized by the germ “Serratia marcescens” was detected. The germ, which is normally harmless to adults, can be a serious threat to newborns and premature babies - so the station has now been closed as a precautionary measure for new admissions.

Germ proven in routine examinations
In six newborns in the hospital „Motherhouse of the Borromean women“ in Trier dangerous pathogens have been detected during routine examinations. According to the clinic, this is actually about „Serratia marcescens“, on „Germ that can occur anywhere in the environment - and especially in the intestinal tract of humans and animals can be found“, like Dr. Harald Michels, head of the health department Trier explains. While this is usually harmless for healthy adults, he could „cause severe infections in patients with severe underlying disease or weak infection control“, so Dr. Harald Michels next.

Affected children are looked after in isolation
According to the chief physician of the Department of Paediatrics of the Clinic, Dr. med. Wolfgang Thomas, not, because all affected children would be taken care of in the rooms of the intensive care unit and looked after in isolation. „For the care of preterm infants, who can no longer be transferred to another perinatal center without risk before birth, the hospital sets up a separate ward, which is physically and personally separate. This also applies to newborns and infants with unpredictable medical problems. Employees who are on vacation or working part-time will also be asked for additional assistance“, adds the medical director Dr. Oliver Kunitz in a message from the hospital.

Retransmission of the germ could not be stopped
According to the clinic, how the germs spread in the clinic has not yet been conclusively clarified. However, according to the current state of knowledge, there is a presumption that the origin lies in the infection of an extremely premature baby from which he has recovered. In the affected boy, the germ had been detected three days after birth by a routine check-up, which was immediately isolated and all sanitary conditions at the ward tightened. But even so, the germ could not be stopped, instead, he spread further and infected five other newborns: „The germ is characterized by a high survivability outside of living things“, explains chief physician Wolfgang Thomas, therefore could „strict isolation and strict hygiene measures, which were agreed in consultation with the Advisory Center for Hygiene and the Trier Health Department, but only temporarily prevent further spread of the germ.“

Intensive care unit closed as a precaution for new admissions
The doctors and nurses could, according to Dr. Harald Michels will not be blamed for doing so, as they would have kept the hygiene rules as well as possible - even if it is not always possible in an intensive care unit to pay strict attention to hygiene. However, in order to prevent any risk of further miscarriage, the clinic management has decided in consultation with the public health department Trier and the German Advisory Center for Hygiene in Freiburg to close the intensive care unit and an adjacent premature and neonatal ward as a precaution for new admissions. (No)

Image: Sebastian Karkus