Catching stuff just by going to the doctor.

[Gale Hawkins]

Surgeon's Infected Hands Led to Staph Outbreak at Cedars | NBC Southern California

 

[dmccarty]

One of our neighbors had back surgery, gracious, I think it was two years ago. The surgery was fine but he got an infection that almost killed him a couple of times. He lost a kidney to the infection and is only now getting out of the house to work on chores. He has been bed ridden since the surgery. What is sad is that his wife had dementia and he cared for her for years before she died. He remarried, and his new wife had cared for her very sick husband for years before he died. She then had to take care of her new husband. The neighbor was in and out of the hospital and homes when his wife said bring him home. I can take care of him. She bought a hospital bed and put it in the dining room which overlooks the road. We would wave at him in that danged bed but I don't know if he ever saw us.

I surely hope the surgeon did not cause our neighbors infection...

Later,
Dan

 

[Chuck52]

Many years ago, I worked as an orderly in a major university hospital. There was one surgeon whose patients almost always seemed to have post-operative infections. He was a great surgeon, technically, and back in those days such infections were not all that uncommon, and were mostly treatable. The really nasty antibiotic resistant strains were just evolving. At any rate, he was a known Staph carrier, and he was not prevented from performing surgical procedures. I think, in these days, that would not be permitted. In many major hospitals, perhaps all, there are specialists who watch for just that kind of problem. I didn't read the link, but the fact that it was posted probably confirms my comment. Will it still happen? Of course, but at least now when something like that comes to light it is dealt with. Probably with as little fanfare as possible.

Chuck

 

[forgeblast]

I remember hearing that a hospital was running some reports on infections and was finding that they had a lot of Legionnaires' disease. The hospital started testing everything and found that the water feature(fountain) in the front lobby was the vector and the mist that was dropping from the waterfall was causing people to become infected.
Hospital's water wall source of Legionnaires' Disease - Health - CBC News
(found the article)

 

[dave1949]

I remember hearing that a hospital was running some reports on infections and was finding that they had a lot of Legionnaires' disease. The hospital started testing everything and found that the water feature(fountain) in the front lobby was the vector and the mist that was dropping from the waterfall was causing people to become infected.
Hospital's water wall source of Legionnaires' Disease - Health - CBC News
(found the article)

Well, I guess that explains why the water fall wall in local hospital is dry I wondered, because it's a fairly new building. I also wondered about the cost of such a thing being a bit over the top for a rural medical center.

 

[Bird]

My mother fell and broke a hip. The first surgery was botched; plate was installed with screws and all the heads popped off the screws a short time later. The second surgery was done by a different surgeon in the same hospital and resulted in a massive infection. We moved her to a different hospital, they finally removed the entire hip joint, she spent almost a year in the hospital, and the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

But when I had a knee replaced a couple of years ago, I could hardly believe the lengths this hospital went to in making sure there was no infection. And while some of it might have been a little inconvenient, I certainly did not complain; glad they were being that careful.

 

[creekbend]

What is MRSA | About MRSA statistics | Types of Staph bacteria

 

[N80]

MRSA tends to have two personalities depending on where you catch it. Hospital acquired MRSA tends to be harder to treat, particularly if in deep surgical wounds, joints or lungs. Community acquired MRSA is often quite easy to treat with standard antibiotics and is typically in superficial wounds, boils and skin abscesses.

MRSA is also becoming very common in the community and many people are asymptomatic carriers. Over use of antibiotics being a major cause. Who is to blame for that? Doctors. And their patients. Remember, the common cold NEVER need antibiotics, most sinus infections do not need antibiotics, most ear infections in children do not need antibiotics. Doctors need to prescribe less! Patients need to quit asking for/demanding them!

As far as catching stuff at the doctor's office, well, yep. Guess where most common and nearly all uncommon communicable diseases tend to be concentrated in the US? Hospitals and doctor's offices of course.....because that is where all the sick people go. We are inundated with flu right now and I hate to see an elderly patient or tiny child in our office for something routine or trivial this time of year.

As far as post operative complications, well, the blame can be spread a thousand ways. Bad doctors, bad hospital staff, patients who are noncompliant. But it is also important to remember that even under ideal circumstances infection and complications can and do occur. There is a certain level of risk than cannot be eliminated. The sickest and weakest patients are obviously most prone.

 

[MarkV]

N80, George, would of course know being an MD himself. Your point about over use of antibiotics causing problems is something I have been an advocate of for a long time. Countries where antibiotics are/were over the counter they are having a lot of trouble treating infections because of over the counter use for everyday sniffles.

MarkV

 

[aczlan]

most ear infections in children do not need antibiotics.

Going to a Chiropractor twice COMPLETELY fixed the recurring ear infections (every month or so) that our (now 3 year old) daughter had starting when she was ~6 months old.

Aaron Z