A new report by the CDC has found that drug-resistant pathogens caused a 15% increase in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and a similar increase in patient deaths in 2020. The infections included carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, which increased 78% from 2019 to 2020, and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas, increasing 32% over the same time period.
The report also states that more than 29,400 people died from antimicrobial-resistant infections during the first year of the pandemic, with 40% of people acquiring the infection while in hospital. Pandemic-related data disruptions mean this number is likely to be an underestimation – together, antimicrobial-resistant infections and Clostridium difficile are estimated to cause more than 3 million infections and 48,000 deaths in the United States every year.
Proper reprocessing of medical devices is key to breaking the chain of healthcare-associated infections. Semi-critical devices and critical devices that cannot be sterilized must undergo high-level disinfection (HLD) to protect patients from cross-contamination. The trophon device has demonstrated efficacy against a range of pathogens that cause common HAIs including multi-drug resistant bacteria and C. difficile.
Read more about healthcare-associated infections and how to prevent them
