U.S. government sets infection control goals

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Urinary infections caused by improper use and placement of catheters are the top cause of infections among hospital patients, but simple measures can prevent them, the U.S. government said on Tuesday.

The Health and Human Services Department released a plan to reduce hospital infections, which kill an estimated 99,000 people a year, affect 1.7 million patients and cost nearly $20 billion.

Besides catheter-linked urinary infections, the most common causes of infections linked with hospitals are surgical site infections, bloodstream infections from intravenous lines and pneumonia from ventilators, HHS said in the report.

"Infections associated with Clostridium difficile and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) also contribute significantly to the overall problem," the report reads.

It recommended several specific steps hospitals should take to tackle the problem:

-- Use catheters only when appropriate and only as long as needed. The report said that some nursing homes improperly use catheters to manage incontinent patients.

-- Ensure that only trained people insert or maintain catheters.

-- Use sterile techniques including a cap, mask, sterile gown, sterile gloves, and a large sterile drape, for the insertion of central venous catheters.

-- Do not remove hair before surgery unless it will directly interfere with the operation.