The Problem
Health care related infections – The 4th largest cause of death in the western world
Globally, infections represent the most common cause of death1. Hospital and care related infections are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients seeking medical care. The corresponding cost to health care in the US is about 5 billion USD per year2. In the western world about 40% of the hospital acquired infections are urinary tract infections, which in turn mostly follow upon catheterisation of the urethra 3.
The alarming situation is recognized by the US Institute for Healthcare Improvement through the “Protecting 5 Million Lives From Harm” campaign, to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in US hospitals. Three out of twelve items on the action list aim for a decrease in the rate of hospital acquired infections4. A similar action program already exists in the UK, where the Rapid Review Panel is commissioned to decrease the incidence of care acquired infections. For this purpose, the Panel has given the Bardex IC®, a urinary catheter with the Bactiguard® coating, a level one recommendation5.
Resistance to antibiotics emphasizes the importance of infection control
As resistance to antibiotics increases, so does the importance of infection control. Every infection not prevented requires treatment, and every treatment adds to the selective pressure towards bacterial drug resistance. Investigations have shown that about 70% of bacteria that cause hospital acquired infections are resistant to at least one antibiotic commonly used to treat them6.
References
1 Lopez AD et al., Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: systematic analysis of population health data. Lancet 2006;367:1747-57
2 Macías AE et al., Infection control: Old problems and new challenges. Archives of Medical Research 2005;36:637-45
3 Vincent JL et al., The prevalence of nosocomial infection in intesive care units in Europe: results of the European Prevalence of Infection in Intensive Care (EPIC) study. EPIC International Advisory Committee. JAMA 1995;274: 639-644
4 http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/Campaign/
5 Health Protection Agency, Rapid Review Panel Report, UK, http://www.hpa.org.uk/.../bardex2.pdf
6 Livermore D., Bacterial resistance: Origins, epidemiology and impact. Clin Infect Dis 2003; 36 (Suppl 1): 11-23
