On February 22, Extending the Cure published a study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine that found that two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone. The study has recieved significant media attention.
It is the largest study to date on the toll taken by sepsis and pneumonia, two conditions often caused by antibiotic resistant infections. Zeroing in on infections that are often preventable, researchers discovered that people who developed sepsis after surgery stayed in the hospital 11 days longer and the infections cost an extra $33,000 to treat per person. Even worse, nearly 20 percent of people who developed sepsis after surgery died as a result of the infection.
Researchers also looked at postoperative pneumonia, another largely preventable disease, finding that people who developed pneumonia after surgery stayed in the hospital an extra 14 days. Such cases cost an extra $46,000 per person to treat. 11 percent of patients died as a result of the infection.
The following articles highlight these results:
Reuters: U.S. hospital infections killed 48,000: report
ABC News (video): Study: Hospital Infections Kill 48,000 in U.S. Each Year
CNN(video): Hospitals and fatal infections
Marketplace (NPR--audio): More patients infected from hospitals
Agence France Presse: Infections in US hospitals kill 48,000, cost billions: study
National Public Radio Shots Blog: Hospital Infections: Deadly, Costly, And Potentially Avoidable
Wall Street Journal Health Blog: Study: Half of Infection Deaths Linked Directly to Hospital Care
Los Angeles Times Booster Shots Blog: Warning: Hospitals may be hazardous to your health
Scientific American Observation Blog: Two hospital-acquired infections estimated to have killed 48,000, cost $8.1 B in 2006
UPI: 48,000 die of preventable hospital deaths
All Headline News: Report: More People dying Of Infections Acquired At Hospitals
HealthDay News/Palm Beach Post: Hospital-Acquired Sepsis, Pneumonia a ‘Growing Menace’
HealthDay News/Modern Medicine: Hospital-Acquired Infections Impose Heavy Burden
HealthLeaders Media: Sepsis, Pneumonia Caused by HAIs Killed 48,000 Patients in One Year, Study Says
Modern Healthcare: Hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 patients: study
Medical News Today: Hospital-Acquired Infections, MRSA, Killed 48,000 Americans In One Year
New York Daily News: Hospital infections killed nearly 50,000 a year, says new study
AHA News Now: Study: Hospital-associated sepsis, pneumonia infections costly
Kaiser Health News Daily Report: Study Says Lower-Cost Hospitals Don’t Have Lower Quality Care For Certain Illnesses
WebMD: Hospital Infections Kill 48,000 Each Year
Infectious Disease Examiner: Hospital Infections Are Deadly and Expensive According to Study
eFitness Now: Hospital Infections Kill More Americans than HIV
Injury Board: Study – Hospital-Acquired Infections Kill 48,000
EmaxHealth: Hospital-Acquired Infections Costly in Both Lives and Dollars
Top News: 48,000 Americans Killed Every Year Because of Hospital Infections, Study Reveals
News Inferno: Infections Caught in Hospitals Kill 48,000 in U.S. Every Year
Press TV: Study: US hospital infections kill 48,000 each year
Daily Beast: Study: Hospital Infections Left 48,000 Dead
dbTechno: Sepsis and Pneumonia Killing Thousands of American Hospital Patients
Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: HAIs: An even bigger problem than we thought?
AZ Central: Study: Hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 in one year
Fierce Healthcare: Pneumonia, sepsis linked to 48,000 HAI-deaths annually
Health News Track: Sepsis an pneumonia cost $8.1 billion to treat
The Money Times: Hospital acquired infections could be fatal – study
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