Staph infections costly to U.S. hospitals

CHICAGO, Aug 09, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A Northwestern Memorial Hospital study estimates staph infections annually cause 12,000 deaths and cost U.S. hospitals $9.5 billion.

Staphylococcus aureus infections significantly increase costs, length of patient stays and mortality rates, a Northwestern Memorial Hospital researcher found in the most comprehensive study of its kind to date.

Dr. Gary Noskin, an infectious diseases specialist and medical director of healthcare epidemiology and quality at Northwestern Memorial, examined two years of data from hundreds of hospitals.

"S. aureus infections represent a considerable burden to U.S. hospitals, particularly among high-risk patient populations," said Noskin, the study's lead author. "The potential benefits to hospitals in terms of reduced use of resources and costs, as well as improved outcomes, from preventing S. aureus infections, are significant."

He said such infections can be reduced by use of antibiotics to prevent surgical site infections, consistent hand-washing and maximum barrier protections when putting in central lines.

Noskin found S. aureus infection was listed as a discharge diagnosis in nearly 1 percent of all hospital stays, or an average of 292,045 stays in a year.

The study is published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.