Five local hospitals have high IV infection rates

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center is among five local hospitals that reported IV infection rates that were more than double the national average in 2008.

February 5, 2010 BY MONIFA THOMAS Health Reporter mjthomas@suntimes.com

Five Chicago hospitals reported intravenous tube-related infection rates that were more than double the national average in 2008, according to a new analysis by Consumer Reports Health, though newer data for some of the same hospitals showed improvement.

Consumer Reports looked at 15 Chicago-area medical centers, and 926 nationwide, to see how well hospitals prevent bloodstream infections caused by intravenous tubes, or catheters, inserted in the intensive care unit. These potentially deadly central line-associated infections are easily prevented with proper hand-washing and skin disinfection.

Weiss Memorial Hospital had the worst infection rate of the Chicago hospitals that were analyzed — more than five times the national average — followed by Saint Anthony Hospital, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Norwegian-American Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, according to Consumer Reports.

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