In the previous post, we learned from Eli that MRSA is going away. But there's no rest for hospital epidemiologists. The LA Times
reports today that in the last 6-months of 2010 there were more than 350 cases of carbapenemase-producing
Klebsiella pneumoniae infections reported from healthcare facilities in LA County. The epicenter appears to be long-term care facilities. Given the lack of treatment options for these pathogens, this is a very disturbing development.
This is why, more than ever, acute care, long term care, and public health need to be communicating and understanding each other. I agree with my friends Mike V. and Sue G. We need trained infection preventionists in long term care. We also need evidence based approaches that will work in a long term care model with the economic and staffing constraints that are inherent in long term care. Otherwise, LTC (especially LTACs) are turning into giant petri dishes of MDRO prevalence, some of which is new LTC transmitted incidence, but a lot of which transfers in and then just sets up shop. I will now get off my soapbox.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need evidence-based approaches for LTC, but that would require funding those studies. Hopefully things are changing in that regard, but we need to invest in infection prevention (research and staffing) while we hope that new antibiotics can be discovered and tested. Unfortunately, it will probably take the closure of solid organ transplant or other surgical programs in the post-antibiotic era until we get serious about the problem.
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