An estimated 80,000 people are infected each year in American hospitals with catheter-related bloodstream infections: 30,000 die from these infections. According to a recent survey of medical professionals, most of these infections are preventable. However,  infections continue to plague hospitals because hospital administrators do not understand the significance of the problem and have not committed adequate resources and attention to implement basic procedures to reduce the infection rate. Basic procedures include hand washing, cleaning a patient’s skin with an effective antiseptic, using sterile drapes, clothing, masks, gowns, gloves and dressings. (7/13) Washington Post

Findings in a new federal study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association would suggest that surgery centers may not be as safe as hospital operating rooms. The study found that patients who have procedures, such as colonoscopies, foot surgeries and plastic surgeries, at same-day surgery centers are at higher risk for getting infections. The majority of clinics involved in the study violated the basic fundamentals of infection control, such as washing hands, wearing gloves and reusing devices meant for a single use. Lax infection control practices may pervade the nation’s outpatient surgery centers. (6/8) NY Times

The Joint Commission is offering an on-line patient safety quiz to encourage consumers to take more responsibility for their own health and safety. The quiz  covers topics such as avoiding mistakes with medications, what you should do prior to a surgery and your rights as a patient. The Joint Commission is a a private, non-profit organization that operates accreditation programs for hospitals and other healthcare organizations. Take the quiz at: Joint Commission

Two weeks after awarding $1 million in compensatory damages to the widow of a man who died from bedsores, a Philadelphia jury leveled  $5 million in punitive damages against the same nursing home and hospital because they failed to diagnose and properly treat a urinary tract infection, leaving the man vulnerable to developing bedsores. Workers at both the hospital and nursing home allowed the bedsores to fester and their patient to become malnourished. Two years later the man died from the bedsores. The case is unusual since it may be the first nursing home verdict that awarded punitive damages. In order for a jury to award such damages, the jurors must determine that a facility engaged in “outrageous and reckless conduct.” (3/18) Philadelphia Inquirer

De Puy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, has issued a warning to physicians about the high early failure rate of its hip implant device, known as the ASR, just months after announcing plans to curtail sales of the product by year-end. Some physicians say that De Puy did not act quickly enough as hundreds of affected patients have undergone painful and expensive follow-up surgeries to replace the ASR within a few years after the initial procedure. The ASR, a metal-on-metal implant, is one of several under scrutiny because they can generate metal fragments, causing inflammation and damage to muscles and tissue. Some experts believe design flaws in the De Puy implant are at the root of the device’s problems. (3/9) NY Times

Select Medical Corporation and other firms that operate long-term care hospitals are the subjects of lawsuits, and troubling state and federal inspection reports that reflect a sub-standard level of patient care at some of these facilities. Select runs 89 long-term care hospitals which have been cited four times more for serious Medicare violations than regular hospitals. Because of Medicare rules, there has been a rapid expansion of long-term care hospitals. However, Medicare does not scrutinize their care or penalize these facilities for violations as they do regular hospitals. Long-term care hospitals generally spend less on patient care and have higher profit margins than traditional hospitals. (2/9) NY Times

In a series of articles entitled “Dead By Mistake,” Hearst Newspapers reveals the results of its investigation into the causes and effects of medical errors throughout the U.S. The lead article reports that each year 98,000 people die from preventable medical errors and claims the number of deaths is on the rise as hospitals are slow to implement lifesaving practices. The number of preventable errors may be even greater than previously thought since reporting is sparse and secretive. Hearst (8/8)

According to the Institute for Medicine, 1.5 million people are injured or harmed by medication errors and mixups. There are numerous reasons for the errors, but confusion caused over drugs with similar names accounts for nearly 25 percent of injuries to patients. Medication errors, including improper use and incorrect dosage, can be made all along the route from prescribing to dispensing the drug to the patient. (7/19) Richmond Times-Dispatch

In an op-ed, Les Weisbrod, president of the American Association for Justice, writes that the Obama administration’s healthcare reform must not limit the legal rights of patients injured because of medical errors. Obama’s plan seeks to lower healthcare costs while improving the quality of care and providing coverage for the uninsured. According to Weisbrod, changing the legal system will not solve these issues, but make it more difficult for those injured by medical negligence to pursue legal recourse. Patient safety should take precedence over focusing on the legal system. Each year approximately 98,000 people die as a result of medical mistakes. (6/22) USA Today

A new study concludes that children prescribed stimulant medications to treat attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder may be at risk of suffering sudden unexplained death. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Food and Drug Administration, is the first to connect the use of these drugs, such as Ritalin, with sudden death in children. Physicians have speculated about this connection because stimulants can  increase heart rates and effect cardiovascular systems in children. However, sudden death in children using these drugs is rare, affecting  fewer than 1 in 10, 000 in the United States. (6/16) Washington Post