Bacteria Forces Transfer of Infants from Maryland Hospital

CHEVERLY, Md. (WTTG) - Prince George's Hospital Center will begin the disinfecting process after three babies in its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) tested positive for a harmful and potentially deadly bacteria. The hospital closed down its NICU and has transferred nine babies in that unit to Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. after three of the current neonatal patients recently tested positive for Pseudomonas, a bacterium that can cause infections in humans. The hospital said the positive bacteria cases have only affected patients in the NICU and were detected during routine screening of the babies. "What we noticed was that there was a cluster of positive swabs that were above what our normal is," said Dr. Carnell Cooper, chief medical officer for Dimensions Healthcare System. "Because of that, we then began our investigation." Dr. Cooper said they have found no association in their investigation between the recent deaths of two infants at the hospital and the bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Serious Pseudomonas infections usually occur in people in the hospital and/or with weakened immune systems. Infections of the blood, pneumonia, and infections following surgery can lead to severe illness and death in these people." "Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria that is commonly encountered in the health care setting," said Dr. Kerri Thom, an inf...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Operations Source Type: news