University Hospital Mannheim Patients were obviously endangered by unclean scalpels

University of Mannheim: Lack of hygiene endangered thousands of patients?
At the University Hospital Mannheim apparently hygiene rules were disregarded for years. It has been reported that dirty cutlery such as scalpels have been used in operations. Infections in thousands of patients were accepted. The case is widening into a huge hygiene scandal.

File with infection data could be expensive for clinic
Already over a year is reported on unhygienic conditions in the hospital Mannheim. The director of the university hospital, Alfred Dänzer, resigned in October 2014. The scandal over disregarded hygiene laws and dirty surgical utensils such as scalpels is increasingly beating waves. As a consequence of the hygiene scandal, patient advocates had demanded, among other things, a sanitary traffic light for hospitals. And still, various associations and experts are campaigning for punishment and resignations. Now, for tens of thousands of patients treated in Mannheim, there is a legal glimmer of hope, namely a file with infection data. This could be expensive for the scandal clinic, as reported by the Internet portal "derwesten.de".

Has clinical hygiene been seriously disregarded? (Image: sudok1 / fotolia)

Up to 350,000 patients may have operated on unclean cutlery
According to the portal, a panel of experts comes to the conclusion that the clinic is said to have operated on medical device law and infection control law for years. "According to objective assessment" so the examiners: The hospital was from 2007 to 2014, both technically, personnel as well as organizationally not in a position to clean sterile goods correctly. According to the information could have come up to 350,000 patients under knife, which should never have been used. "That's a shock. That one presumed at most in the third world "said Professor Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, head of the Professional Association of German Hygienists (BDH) and board member of the German Society for Hospital Hygiene (DGKH). Such dirty instruments are "an attack on the health of patients".

In surgery, "infections were inevitable"
Zastrow, head of hygiene at the largest municipal hospital group in Germany, the Vivantes Klinikum GmbH in Berlin, said further that "infections are unavoidable" during operations with such devices. The management of the clinic had accepted the high risk "approvingly" and the supervisory authority had "completely failed" when they let the central sterilization continue despite detected deficiencies. "It should have been closed immediately," says Zastrow. The German Foundation for Patient Protection demands the resignation of the clinic supervisory board. "It's time he pledges his responsibility," said Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, with around 55,000 members and sponsors. And Jan Schultze-Melling from the medical association Marburger Bund said that the scandal was "the result of dictation: return rules". The motto "saving on hygiene and saving on staff" could not be good.

"An impertinence" for patients and employees
"This is a disaster that must have consequences," said patient advocate Burkhard Kirchhoff. For patients as well as for employees it was "an impertinence to suffer serious neglect of leading minds". Persons who have been infected with germs have in court "in view of these shortcomings quite reasonable opportunities." In addition, according to the report of "derwesten.de" chances may be increased by a file, which has seized the prosecutor. According to the Fun Media Group, it contains infection statistics. These show frequent complications: According to the infection rates of up to 20 percent. "That would not be normal. With that, the clinic would have to prove its innocence, "says Schultze-Melling. (Ad)