Though health officials say the swine flu outbreak appears relatively mild, some medical experts say the United States is unprepared in many ways to handle a severe pandemic. Hundreds of ERs have shut down over the past 15 years, largely because of financial pressures, and even hospital equipment could be in short supply.
Clostridium difficile, commonly known as C difficile or C-diff, is rapidly gaining ground as the second-most destructive source of hospital-acquired infection after methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Like MRSA, C-diff is also appearing more frequently in the community in patients with no recent history of hospitalization.
A couple is suing Nashville-based Southern Hills Medical Center for $5 million following the death of their 18-month-old son. According to the lawsuit, the child was taken to Southern Hills in June of last year after he was found to be unconscious and unresponsive. Upon arrival, the child was flatlining and, despite attempts by the medical staff, was eventually pronounced dead. The parents arrived at Southern Hills a short time later, and claim hospital staff told them they would be able to see the child after answering questions. The complaint says that the family was barred from identifying the body and "saying goodbye" despite never having been charged with any role in death.
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Southern California has been fined $25,000 by the state after nurses failed to follow blood transfusion protocol and a patient died as a result. A state Department of Public Health investigation found that in October 2008, a patient at Hollywood Presbyterian was given a blood transfusion that wasn't needed and was the wrong blood type. The transfusion lasted for 15 minutes before hospital staff realized the error. The patient later died.
Urgent-care centers have been gaining ground across the country recently as an attractive medical option for time-pressed families trying to avoid spending hours in a hospital ER or days waiting for a doctor's appointment. The centers offer walk-in medical services and extended hours to customers with non-life-threatening medical problems. Doctors provide the care, assisted by nurses, and generally X-ray and laboratory services are available. Most centers are open 365 days a year, and insurance policies cover most services. This convenience-oriented format is getting a boost as hospitals and private firms build new centers, responding in part to new competition from retail clinics.
Baxter International Inc. said medical care providers at a hospital in Delaware and U.S. health officials are investigating whether the deaths of two patients are linked to a brand of heparin blood thinner Baxter sells in intravenous bags. Use of Baxter's heparin, a diluted form in pre-mixed bags used for a variety of blood thinning purposes, has been suspended by officials at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, DE, since Friday. Adverse reactions were reported in five patients who had problems that included internal bleeding in the brain.