HAIs, or “hospital-acquired infections,” refer to infections that patients develop while receiving care for medical or surgical conditions. HAIs can occur in a variety of types of health care settings in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including hospitals, ambulatory clinics, surgical centers and long-term care facilities.
According to Patient CareLink, hospital-acquired infections account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 related deaths each year. Of those infections, 14% are bloodstream, 15% are infections of the lung (pneumonia), 22% involve surgical sites and 32% are urinary tract infections. Though anyone can develop an HIA, certain patients, such as the elderly, young children and those with compromised immune systems, are at greater risk than others.
Hospital-acquired infections are a serious concern for patients, the health care system and society as a whole. Individuals who contract infections while in the hospital spend an additional 6.5 days in a facility’s care. They are also five times more likely to return after discharge and two times more likely to die. Those who acquire surgical infections are 60 times more likely to go to a hospital’s ICU. In fact, estimates suggest that surgical infections account for 10 billion dollars in health care expenditures each year.
We have brought many hospital-acquired infection cases in New Mexico. Patients should be safe from getting sick in the hospital. Most of our cases involve patients who have died from that hospital-acquired infection or mistreatment of obvious sepsis. Please call if we can help you or your family.