From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania law offices, our attorneys represent hospital negligence and malpractice victims throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Every year roughly 1.7 million people contract infections during hospital stays in the U.S. Of those nearly 2 million victims, almost 100,000 die. While the numbers are startling, a recent report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health reveals that some of the best-known hospitals in the state’s largest city, Philadelphia, have some of the poorest infection records in the state.

Albert Einstein Medical Center, Temple University Hospital, Methodist Hospital and the world-famous Children’s Hospital have all been cited as among Philadelphia’s worst; they have given the city a disproportionate share of health care facilities with high infection rates.

Some of the reasons cited in the 2009 report are poor handling of tubes placed into the body for urinary catheters, and IVs that tap into blood vessels to deliver medicines and other liquids.

The hospitals report that they have markedly improved their infection rates over the past year, with the University of Pennsylvania Hospital saying it has lowered its infection rate by 15 percent.

Statewide, the report indicated that hospitals reduced the infection rate by 12.5 percent.

Still, there were 6,277 surgical-related infections that accounted for nearly 24 percent of all hospital infections reported. That was closely followed by 6,145 urinary tract infections. Gastrointestinal and bloodstream central-line infections were also common, and all four accounted for 80 percent of infections reported in Pennsylvania hospitals.

The report also indicated that MRSA – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – has been replaced by Clostridium difficile as the state’s most prevalent infection. MRSA is a skin infection that was found in 8.2 percent of hospital infections in Pennsylvania. Without treatment, MRSA can require hospitalization. Clostridium difficile is a bacterial, gastrointestinal infection that accounted for 20 percent of infections and can cause severe colitis.

These startling numbers evidence an unacceptable standard of care in Philadelphia’s hospitals. If you or a loved one has developed a serious infection due to poor practices by your healthcare provider, promptly contact a personal injury attorney experienced in medical malpractice cases. The laws are time sensitive, so please contact an advocate promptly.

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