Hospital Acquired Infections; The Challenge of MRSA

03 Aug Hospital Acquired Infections; The Challenge of MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a staph bacterial infection that cannot be treated with antibiotics that are usually administered for staph infections. There are two main types of MRSA: Healthcare-associated (HA-MRSA) and Community-associated (CA-MRSA).¹ HA-MRSA mostly develops after invasive operations and practices, including surgeries, and intravenous tubing. CA-MRSA emerges as skin boils in the general population and spreads through skin to skin contact.² Without immediate and efficient care, MRSA can become severe and lead to blood stream infections, sepsis or pneumonia.³ The fatality of MRSA infections was best exemplified by the BURDEN study, which found that MRSA bacteraemia almost doubled the odds of 30-day mortality compared to MSSA bacteraemia, the bacteria that cause common staph infections.⁴

HA-MRSA is a significant issue for health care facilities since people who contract MRSA usually do so after being in hospitals or other healthcare settings. In Europe, about 171,200 patients, or about 44% of all healthcare associated infections each year are induced by MRSA.⁵

MRSA is a dangerous infection that poses a critical problem for hospitals who do not want to see patients readmitted for MRSA after invasive procedures. In fact, “it is also estimated to cause 5,400 attributable extra deaths and over a million extra days of hospitalization associated with these infections.” ⁶MRSA is a serious medical problem that places an immense strain on a hospital’s resources. Qmetis’s new MRSA products will work to alleviate this pressure. By implementing Qmetis’s real-time, interactive software solutions, hospitals will be more compliant to established procedures, and will be confident in their ability to cut costs and save lives.

1. “MRSA Infection.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Sept. 2015.
2. “MRSA Infection.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Sept. 2015.
3. “General Information About MRSA in the Community.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, 25 Mar. 2016.
4. Gould, Ian M. “Treatment of Bacteraemia: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) to Vancomycin-Resistant S. Aureus (VRSA).” International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, vol. 42, 26 Dec. 2011.
5. Gould, Ian M. “Treatment of Bacteraemia: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) to Vancomycin-Resistant S. Aureus (VRSA).”
6. Gould, Ian M. “Treatment of Bacteraemia: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) to Vancomycin-Resistant S. Aureus (VRSA).”