In terms of health politics, no hospital-related subject is more explosive than hygiene. However, although this reaction is common across Europe, approaches towards tackling nosocomial infections varies among our EU countries. Karoline Laarmann reports from Germany and Jane MacDougall from France…
Bacteria are highly flexible when it comes to choosing a vehicle to enter a human body. During orthopaedic surgery, they may well settle on a prosthetic joint and cause immediate or delayed infections.
Smooth, flawlessly running reprocessing systems ensure regulatory hygiene standards as well as the constant availability of all endoscopes. To this end, along with the established Partnership and Complete Coverage Contracts for endoscopy, Olympus Deutschland GmbH has developed CDS Care and CDS Care+ Contracts and a Validation Service.
Post-operative wound infection occurs after an estimated 17% of surgical operations – sometimes with devastating consequences for the patient. The list of preventive measures is manifold and long. However, one strategy is increasingly moving into the spotlight: the use of antibacterial coated sutures. Ethicon Products is at the cutting edge in this field. Sandra Rasche, head of this Business…
That computer keyboards harbour bacteria is well known. Studies have determined that 3,295 germs accumulate per square inch on a standard keyboard. By comparison, a sanitary toilet has 49 germs per square inch.
For utmost patient safety, MEIKO is proud to present a so-called multiwasher with the type designation “TopClean 60”. This state-of-the-art development from the Offenburg manufacturer of disinfection appliances for hospitals and nursing homes involves a cleaning and disinfection appliance for practically everything that has to be treated safely in terms of hygiene.
Designed to decontaminate air and thus reduce the chance of infection by airborne pathogenic organisms in areas from hospital wards to waiting rooms or any other enclosed rooms, Medixair has been clinically demonstrated to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAI).
The road from a great idea to a marketable product is long, rocky and often too expensive. Thus innumerable ground breaking, even revolutionary ideas have never seen daylight and innumerable great inventions and inventors have remained hidden behind desks, in labs and garages. Start-up competitions such as Senkrechtstarter, in Bochum, North Rhine Westphalia, ensure that hidden…
The half century old Japanese firm Saraya remains a leading name for state-of-the-art hygiene products. At Medica the company is demonstrating the UD 1000 sensor dispenser for disinfectant. Global sales figures for this model speak for themselves - 200,000.
Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Krankenhaushygiene (DGKH) hat in Kooperation mit dem Universitätsklinikum Essen und dem Berufsverband der Deutschen Chirurgen (BDC) drei neue Aufklärungsfilme zur Händehygiene produziert.
According to ECD statistics for Europe, three million cases of nosocomial infections occur annually, and 50,000 are fatal. Evelina Tacconelli MD PhD (below) is Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy. Her scientific focus is on epidemiology, clinical and therapeutic aspects of nosocomial infections and infection control policies aimed to…
The content of training courses on wound care and risk assessment would have one believe that chronic wounds are merely a marginal problem of medical care. The opposite is the case. The number of chronic wounds, and therefore cost of care, are on the increase. Where might the problems and sources of these errors lie?
As processes become more complex, the need for increased laboratory safety is paramount. Protecting operators from hazardous substances, aerosol release or spillages is a critical consideration during processes, whether they are mixing substances or dispensing drugs. Of equal importance is the need to protect the substance, or product, from contamination from the operator. Mark Nicholls presents…
This January, staff members at the Siegen children's hospital Siegen received a Recognised for Excellence (3 stars) certificate for quality services from Dr André Moll, project manager of the Ludwig-Erhard-Preis.
Hospital-associated infections are a serious public health problem. Approximately 50 000 patients get hospital infection during their stay, and these infections are estimated to contribute to death in 2000 - 5000 cases. A recent study by The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Turku University Hospital shows that hospital-associated infections among patients are more common in wards…
When Leo Baekeland invented the world's first true man-made plastic in 1907, his diary entry stated that he believed that "this invention will prove important in the future." This was definitely an understatement, since man-made plastics have revolutionised life for us all, especially in the field of drug discovery with major advances in PCR and QPCR techniques undertaken using plastic…
The antimicrobial technology firm BioCote Ltd, which is showing its products at the British Pavillion, is also promoting the results from the first study to investigate how silver antimicrobial products can reduce levels of bacteria in hospitals, clinics and care homes.
The PC-Cart, recently introduced by Devlin Electronics, is a mobile computing trolley specifically designed for hospitals and care centres. ‘As with all Devlin mobile computer solutions this PC-Cart is designed to be rugged, ergonomic and easily manoeuvrable,’ the manufacturer points out.
Knowing that good hygiene practice is critical to the prevention of cross contamination, New Style Healthcare services are introducing a range of unique hospital furniture to the UK which incorporates Microban® built in antibacterial technology.
According to recent survey by the Leapfrog Group 87% of hospitals fail to adhere infection prevention measures on a consistent basis. In the Wall Street Journal, Betsy McCaughey, chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Death, warns against the next wave of lawsuits.
Hospital infections are immensely dangerous. Toul Meditech has therefore developed a new mobile laminar airflow system which can be used in every operating room in addition to the existing ventilation system.
In any hospital, one of the most dreaded enemies is MRSA. This super-resistant pathogen laughs in the face of most antibiotics. But now, medical and hygiene product manufacturer Lohmann & Rauscher may have developed an efficient weapon to fight this ugly beast: a wound dressing that contains polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB).
UNIQA, Austria's leading health insurer* recently initiated a preventive inspection of the technical water lines and systems at around 40 of the hospitals it insures, to identify any possible contamination by Legionella bacterium. Following the inspections many of the hospitals opted to undergo TÜV certification. Their motivation is not only medical concern, but also economic and legal issues.
The NHS is still suffering from wide variations in infection control standards, according to a survey of health staff in the UK. The study carried out by the watchdog body the Healthcare Commission, after questioning more than 155,000 NHS staff, indicated that there had been improvements in infection control in several areas.