U.S. hospitals are doing a better job at fighting healthcare-acquired infections, particularly superbugs, which are bacterial strains that have developed resistance to antibiotics, a federal report found.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 722,000 patients get affected by hospital-acquired infections (HAI) with about 75,000 of them resulting in deaths.
The new report found that one in seven infections acquired through surgery or from catheters involved some kind of antibiotic-resistant strain. In long-term acute care facilities, the rate was even more common at one in four infections. Infections involving antibiotic-resistant strains can lead to life-threatening situations such as sepsis.
"New data show that far too many patients are getting infected with dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria in healthcare settings," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in the news release. "Doctors and healthcare facilities have the power to protect patients -- no one should get sick while trying to get well."
The most common superbugs were Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, ESBL (extended-spectrum beta-lactamases)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter.
The report noted that HAI rates did decline. From 2008 to 2014, the number infections caused by procedures involving inserting catheters into large veins fell by 50 percent. During the same time frame, the rate of infections at surgical sites dropped by 17 percent.
The researchers also looked at Clostridium difficile, which is the most common cause of bacterial infections in hospitals. They found that from 2011 to 2014, hospitals were able to reduce the number of C. difficile infections acquired within the hospital setting by eight percent.
"We are seeing progress in several areas, but more needs to be done," study senior author Dr. Clifford McDonald, said.
"The good news is that we are preventing healthcare acquired infections, which has saved thousands of lives," Patrick Conway, the Deputy Administrator and Chief Medical Officer at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, added. "The challenge ahead is how we help to prevent antibiotic resistance as well as infections. We are using incentives, changes in care delivery, and transparency to improve safety and quality for patients."
The study was published in the CDC's Vital Signs.
