MRSA:
- Full Name: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Pronounced: "MURSA"
- Nickname: Super Bug
- Incremental Cost to Treat: $27,0831
- Born: MRSA was first identified in 1961 in the UK
- Bio:
- MRSA is a resistant variation of the common bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. It has evolved an ability to survive treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin, methicillin, and cephalosporins. MRSA is especially troublesome in hospital-associated (nosocomial) infections. In hospitals, patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk for infection than the general public. May be inadvertently transferred via improperly cleaned hands and medical equipment.
- Statistics:
- In 1974 MRSA infectons accounted for 2% of total number of staph infections; in 1995 it was 22% and in 2004 it represented 63%2
- A 2007 APIC study found MRSA to be 8-11 times more prevelant than was previously estimated
- Each year 94,000 people acquire an invasive MRSA infection; 84% are Healtcare-associated and 14% are community-associated 3
- Each year 19,000 people die of invasive MRSA infections3
HAI:
- Full name: Healthcare Associated Infections
- Forms: Surgical Site (SSI), Urinary Tract (UTI), Catheter Related Blood Stream (CRBSI), Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
- Other Alias: Nosocomial Infections, Hospital Acquired Infections
- Incremental Cost to Treat: $13,9734
- Bio:
- Infections which occur during of treatment in a hospital or a healthcare facility, that are secondary to the patient's original condition. Infections are considered an HAI if they first appear 48 hours or more after hospital admission or within 30 days after discharge. HAIs are even more alarming in the 21st century as bacteria becomes more antibiotic resistant.
- Statistics
- HAIs Cost the US Healthcare System $17 Billion a year5
- HAIs Kill 99,000 Americans per year6– more than Aids and breast cancer combined
- Each year nealy 2 Million people acquire a HAI in the US7