MRSA Support - MRSA EXPLAINED

MRSA Support - MRSA EXPLAINED

WHAT IS MRSA?
MRSA is bacteria - germs - invisible to the naked eye and can only be viewed under a microscope. The initials stand for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. There are well over 100 strains of Staphylococcus Aureus. Most are killed or prevented from spreading by the penicillin type antibiotics. Which means doctors can treat these infections with a high degree of success. However, over the past twenty-five years or more these antibiotics have been overused and abused by all of us, doctors for prescribing inappropriately and people for not completing the course of tablets. This has enabled (or encouraged) the bacteria to develop its defences and certain strains can now overcome these antibiotics. Stronger antibiotics were developed to counter the ever-increasing resistance.

These strains of Staphylococcus Aureus emerged from our hospitals, not the community. It is our medical institutions which have sent these strains into the wider world and are now telling people that they are bringing it into the hospital environment with them.

Due to this overuse of antibiotics over many years, the relaxation of asepsis discipline (the act of keeping wounds and vulnerable skin sites sterile and germ free) and the relaxation of hygiene discipline, this bacteria has evolved to be resistant to Methicillin - which is a benchmark antibiotic. Methicillin was never actually used as a medicine in its original form. Its equivalent in use today is Oxacillin. Antibiotics that will deal effectively with this bug are now limited and two of them, Vancomycin and Teicoplanin, have to be administered intravenously. This requires a longer stay in hospital for the course of treatment, which can be up to six weeks. Research continues however and we have recently seen the introduction of Linezolid, which is in tablet form.
Under normal conditions the Staphylococcus bacteria are relatively harmless. We live with many different kinds of bacteria (staphylococcus aureus included) in us and on us without any harmful effects. Problems occur when it gets into the bloodstream through a cut or broken skin, cannulae, 'stents' or 'pegs' and bedsores. Also urinary catheters (23% of all MRSA infections are due to contamination of catheters). All these are a direct entry point under the skin; if the immune system is weakened MRSA can in certain instances be fatal.

Those people whose immune system is weakened from the use of immuno-suppressants or illness, or their circulation impaired such as happens with Diabetes are at greater risk to this infection.

MRSA does not respect age. Newborn babies have become infected with it from the umbilical cord when cut with contaminated instruments. Also, in a recent case in the midlands a young man of 27 was infected with it from an operation on his broken leg, a young lady of 23 was infected from a urinary catheter and recently two teenagers who suffered broken legs have been rendered disabled because their metal implants have become infected.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In May 2002 a survey was sent to the Infection Control Teams of 212 NHS Hospital Trusts in England. Responses were received during June and July from 69 Trusts with 56 responding fully, giving a response rate of 26%. As described in the report, a 1 in 4 response although poor is sufficient to give a significant indication. Results of this survey revealed that rates of MRSA in 2001 were nearly 50 times higher than in 1992. Also, the percentage of bacteria that have become resistant to Methicillin has increased by 2,000%. This shows that the rise in this infection has all been down to the resistant strain. According to voluntarily reported statistics available for the first half of 2004, this trend shows no sign of abating with 2,563 cases of MRSA.

Previously, the Public Health Laboratory Service's statistics on MRSA were collected voluntarily, so the totals were obviously conservative, but in 2001, the reporting of all SA and MRSA infections became mandatory. The new data is now beginning to show the full extent of the problem.

Where voluntary recordings for the first half of 2002 show 2,536 cases of MRSA, the mandatory figure for the same six month period stands at 3,515. If that trend continues through the whole year, there will be 7,030 cases of MRSA bacteraemia (blood poisoning) in 2002.

Key healthcare acquired infection facts and figures

Patients who get an HAI stay in hospital average 2.9 times longer than non HAI patients. This is equivalent to an extra 14 days per HAI patient.

A patient with a hospital acquired infection can cost up to Ł8,000+ more to treat; on top of the original reason for admission.

At any one time 9 in every 100 patients are likely to have a hospital acquired infection.

Between 10% and 13% of patients with a hospital acquired infection died compared with 2% of non-HAI patients during their hospital stay, and

after taking into account factors such as age, diagnosis, etc; an infected patient is 7.1 times more likely to die in hospital than an uninfected patient.

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