Neonatal and intensive care pediatric units at White Memorial Center Hospital near downtown Los Angeles, California, are closed following an outbreak of a bacterium that is suspected of killing one baby and infecting 6 other children. Four of the other six children infected are also babies.
The bacterium is called Pseudomonas aeruginosa and is not usually harmful to healthy people. It causes what is known as opportunistic infections, that is people with weak immune systems, such as premature infants or children and elderly people who are already sick, or people with AIDS, are vulnerable to it. In those cases it infects the respiratory or urinary system, and it can get into burns and wounds and the blood as well. It is resistant to a number of antibiotics, although there are some that do work.
Laurene Mascola, MD, Chief of Los Angeles County’s Acute Communicable Disease Control Unit says the bacterium was first detected on 30th November and it is likely that the baby who died did so as a result of the infection. She emphasised that the infants were vulnerable to this infection because they were already “very, very sick babies”.
Uninfected children have been moved to separate units and mothers due to give birth at the hospital are advised to discuss with their practitioner whether to go ahead or choose another hospital.
Hospital staff who are working closely with the county’s officials believe that the source of the infection is a laryngoscope blade which may not have been cleaned properly.
A laryngoscope is a medical device that doctors use to examine the throat (larynx). It lis essentially a medical handheld torch with a curved blade at one end enclosing a light. The blade is inserted into the mouth and pushes away a flap of cartilage at the back of the tongue (epiglottis) to allow proper examination of the interior of the larynx and the trachea (tube through which air is drawn into the lungs).
If you are a fan of the TV hospital soap “ER” you will probably have seen Dr Mark Greene on numerous occasions inserting a laryngoscope into the throat of an unconscious road accident or gunshot victim before calling for an intubation to be performed.
Routine cleaning of the laryngoscope is important to stop spread of bacteria from patient to patient. You should clean the blade immediately after use with a brush and hot soapy water to remove secretions. Then you should disinfect it by soaking in antiseptic solution.
Click here to find out more about bacteria and opportunistic infections (MSN Encarta).
Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today