HYDERABAD: A Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection was found among few women who underwent Double Puncture Laparoscopy surgery in the family planning camp organised by the State government in Ibrahimpatnam on August 25. Medical experts say that the women might have acquired the infection through the hands of healthcare workers, unsterilised equipment or unclean environment in the hospital.
Some of the women who were admitted in Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science underwent biopsy and MRSA infection was found among them, said Dr Lingaswamy, Duty Medical Officer who was attending the patients on Friday.
MRSA which is also known as super bug, is a contagious bacterial infection. As its name suggests, it has become resistant to the Methicillin antibiotic. “Some micro-organisms resistant to one or some antibiotics. MRSA is one of them.
We call it healthcare-associated infection,” said Dr Ranga Reddy Burri, president of Infection Control Academy of India. Even though MRSA is immune to one antibiotic, there are high chances that some other antibiotics also may not work against it,” he added.
The women who underwent DPL surgery would have been infected with the MRSA in hospital as the infection is prevalent only in a hospital environment, he stated.
Healthcare workers may be carriers of MRSA: Expert
“The infection could have spread due to poor hygiene, not taking proper precautions, contaminated hands of healthcare workers or not cleaning floors and other things in the hospital,” Dr Ranga Reddy added. “The infection can also spread from one patient to another if treated with the same equipment,” said a retired doctor. He opined that no matter how much care is taken, sometimes patients do get infected with
MRSA. “It’s like an accident,” he added.
If not treated well, the infection can also lead to complications, including organ failure or even death.
“Mostly healthcare workers are the carriers of MRSA. As a part of precautionary measures, some private hospitals conduct routine screening of their healthcare workers usually once in six months through nazal swab. If infection is detected the workers are isolated at least from ICU departments and other low immunity patients,” said Dr Anusha Erukulla, a microbiologist.
DPH Srinivasa Rao visits Ibrahimpatnam hospital
Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao on Friday inspected the Ibrahimpatnam Government Hospital, where 34 women underwent Double Puncture Laparoscopy (DPL) on August 25 and four among them died subsequently. The State government has appointed a committee headed by Dr Rao to submit a detailed report on the matter. Speaking to the media, Dr Srinivasa Rao said that he inspected the facilities at the hospital, the condition of the operation theatre and the apparatus used. He also interacted with the staff involved in the DPL operations. He said that the doctor who operated on 34 women would appear before him at his office. Stating that they have received primary autopsy reports and were yet to get a detailed forensic report on what went wrong, Dr Rao said a detailed report will be submitted to the government after obtaining all reports. He also said that the same doctor had operated on 60 women in Chevella the very next day and 100 women in Suryapet and there was no problem.