New Report Shows High C-difficile Infection Rates in U.S. Hospitals

First Large Scale Study Finds 73% Are From Health Care Facilities

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers Union called on
hospitals today to take more aggressive steps to protect patients from
Clostridium difficile (C.-diff.) infections in light of a new report showing
that they are much more common than previous estimates had indicated. As the
rate of hospital acquired C.-diff. infections has jumped in recent years, an
increasing number of patients have developed antibiotic-resistant strains of
the infection that are more difficult to treat and more deadly.

The report released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control
and Epidemiology (APIC) found that 13 out of every 1,000 patients or
approximately 7,178 inpatients on any one given day were infected or colonized
with C.-diff (94.4 percent were infected). The rate is 6.5 to 20 times higher
than previous incidence estimates that were based on more limited data. The
report estimated that on any given day these infections cost between $17.6
million to $51.5 million and kill between 165 and 438 patients.

The APIC report is based on a survey of infection control professionals from
648 health care facilities throughout the country who collected data about all
of their patients with C.-diff. infections on one day between May and August
2008.

"C-diff. infections are much too common in our nation's hospitals and threaten
the health of thousands of patients every year," said Lisa McGiffert, Director
of Consumers Union's Stop Hospital Infections Campaign
(www.StopHospitalInfections.org). "Most hospitals aren't doing enough to
protect patients from these deadly, preventable infections."

C.-diff. bacteria is released into the hospital environment in feces. It is
found on surfaces throughout hospitals and nursing homes and can be spread to
patients through hand contact. In one study, C.-diff. was found on the hands
of nearly 60 percent of doctors and nurses caring for infected patients.
Studies have found C.-diff. contamination of almost all objects in the
hospital environment, ranging from stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs to
mops.

When patients undergo antibiotic therapy, beneficial bacteria in the colon are
killed off, but C.-diff. survives and multiplies. The bacteria release toxins
that cause inflammation and damage the mucosal lining of the colon leading to
severe diarrhea. An antibiotic-resistant strain of C.-diff. has developed in
recent years that can result in colitis, sepsis, and death. Elderly patients,
patients with severe underlying illness, and patients undergoing
immunosuppressive therapy are at higher risk of becoming infected since their
immune response to the bacteria and its toxins is diminished.

According to the federal Agency for Healthcare Improvement's Healthcare Cost
and Utilization Project, the number of hospital patients with C.-diff.
infections more than doubled between 2001 and 2005 to 301,200 patients. As
infection rates have increased, so have mortality rates. According to data
from death records and the National Inpatient Sample, fatality rates rose from
1.2% in 2000 to 2.2% in 2004, indicating that C.-diff. infections are becoming
more dangerous and deadly.

APIC's survey found that 54.4 percent of patients with C.-diff. were
identified within 48 hours of admission and that most were admitted to the
hospital already infected. However, APIC estimates that 72.5 percent of the
patients with C.-diff. infections developed them as a result of exposure to
bacteria in a healthcare facility. In other words, many patients who were
admitted with an infection picked it up during a previous stay at a hospital
or nursing home.

The most basic way to prevent infections is to keep patients from being
colonized by C.-diff. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)
Guidelines for Infection Control in Health Care Facilities notes that proper
hand hygiene is the single most important factor in protecting patients from
C.-diff. and other hospital-acquired infections. To complicate matters, the
CDC advises that hands must be washed with soap and water when caring for
C.-diff patients, as the commonly used alcohol-based hand gel is ineffective
against this bacteria. Unfortunately, studies have repeatedly shown that
handwashing compliance rates in hospitals are generally less than 50 percent.
Other key infection control strategies include using contact precautions,
including gloves and gowns with C.-diff. patients and separating them from
other patients.

Improved cleanliness in hospital wards is also necessary to limit the spread
of C.-diff. Use of a hypochlorite (bleach) cleaning solution is the most
effective way to eliminate the bacteria. Hospitals that have stepped up
efforts to more thoroughly clean hospital wards have effectively controlled
the spread of C.-diff. However, reports show that hospital cleaning budgets
are being cut every year and that these reduced numbers of cleaning staff are
often inadequately trained.

Finally, since being on antibiotics is a risk factor for C.-diff., hospitals
that restrict the use of the type of antibiotics frequently associated with
these infections have had more success in protecting patients.

"Health care consumers need to be aware that most U.S. hospitals are not
consistently following basic infection control practices against C.-diff.,"
said McGiffert. "Patients are already having to remind doctors to wash their
hands, but they shouldn't have to bring bleach with them to make sure their
rooms are clean. Hospitals need to make sure that rooms are properly
disinfected and that staff are following strict infection control practices at
all times."

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent, nonprofit
testing and information organization serving only the consumer. We are a
comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal
finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our
mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.
www.StopHospitalInfections.org, a project of Consumers Union, advocates for
public disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates.

SOURCE Consumers Union

Lisa McGiffert, +1-512-477-4431, ext 115, or Michael McCauley,
+1-415-431-6747, ext 126, both of Consumers Union