Dept. of Health: Ill. hospitals reporting fewer infections | Health

JACKSON COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold announced Thursday hospitals in Illinois have reported fewer health care-associated infections in 2010 compared to 2009.

The IDPH analyzed central line-associated bloodstream infection data as part of the Illinois Hospital Report Card, and found more than 75 percent of Illinois hospitals had the same number or fewer infection cases in 2010 than in 2009.

They say in 2009, 383 bloodstream infections were reported in adult intensive care units in Illinois and 282 were reported in 2010.

“Although results are only for two years, they indicate a significant step forward in the prevention of infection and protection of Illinois patients,” said Dr. Arnold. “Hospital surveillance of infections and public reporting on the Illinois Hospital Report Card Web site play key roles in prevention efforts. In addition, many Illinois hospitals have incorporated targeted interventions to reduce bloodstream infections.”

An estimated 248,000 bloodstream infections happen in U.S. hospitals each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Diseas Control and Prevention. They said large portions of these infections are associated with the presence of a central vascular catheter.

For more information about central line bloodstream infections in Illinois, you can visit the Illinois Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Health Care online.

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