Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

In November and early December of 2006, Pseudomonas aeruginosa sickened 5 infants who were patients in White Memorial Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit. 2 of the infants died (see information on wrongful death). According to a report issued by the California Department of Health Services, White Memorial Medical Center staff did not sterilize laryngoscope blades, which are used to insert breathing tubes, in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations.

If your child contracted a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation. Pritzker | Ruohonen is a national personal injury law firm. Fred Pritzker has over 30 years of hospital malpractice experience. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocate Forum, a certified trial specialist, and a sought-after speaker on complex lawsuit issues. In recognition of his accomplishments, other lawyers selected him for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen about a possible Pseudomonas aeruginosa lawsuit against White Memorial Medical Center, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit your case for review with the firm's online consultation form.

The following in formation on Pseudomonas aeruginosa is provided by Pritzker | Ruohonen as a public service. We have also provided information on hospital malpractice on this website.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Transmission and Causation
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is present in the environment, including in water and soil. Because of this, in cases of hospital-aquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, it is hard to prove that an act or omission of the hospital caused the transmission of the infection. This “causation” is a critical element in a hospital malpractice lawsuit.

To prove causation, one would most likely have to prove transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa caused by hospital staff accidentally or deliberately doing one of the following:

Disregarding established protocols designed to minimize transmission between patients or from hospital workers to patients.
Failing to follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and sterilization of equipment. For example, in the case of infants contracting Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections at White Memorial Medical Center, hospital staff did not sterilize laryngoscope blades in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Hospital Infections
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for 10 % of hospital infections (nosocomial infections).

Types of Infection:

Pneumonia cases (lung infections)
Urinary tract infections
Surgical wound infections
Bloodstream infections
Bone and joint infections
Skin infections

Death from Infection: Death rates are high for certain types of patients:

Immunocompromised patients, such as neutropenic cancer and bone marrow transplant patients, are particularly susceptible to opportunistic infections. In this group of patients, P. aeruginosa is responsible for pneumonia and septicemia with attributable deaths reaching 30% (Fergie and Bergen).
P. aeruginosa is also one of the most common and lethal pathogens responsible for ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated patients (Dunn) with directly attributable death rates reaching 38% (Brewer).
In burn patients, P. aeruginosa bacteremia has declined as a result of better wound treatment and dietary changes (removal of raw vegetables, which can be contaminated with P. aeruginosa, from the diet) (Kluytmans). However, P. aeruginosa outbreaks in burn units are still associated with high (60%) death rates (Richard).
In the expanding AIDS population, P. aeruginosa bacteremia is associated with 50% of deaths (Mendelson).
Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are characteristically susceptible to chronic infection by P. aeruginosa, which is responsible for high rates of death in this population (Govan). (This list is from Van Delden)

References:

Kluytmans J. Surgical infections including burns. In: Wenzel RP, editor. Prevention and control of nosocomial infections. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 1997. p. 841-65.
Fergie JE, Shema SJ, Lott L, Crawford R, Patrick CC. Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in immunocompromised children: analysis of factors associated with a poor outcome. Clin Infect Dis 1994;18:390-4.
Bergen GA, Shelhamer JH. Pulmonary infiltrates in the cancer patient. Infect Dis Clin North Am 1996;10:297-326.
Dunn M, Wunderink RG. Ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas infection [review]. Clinics in Chest Medicine 1995;16:95-109.
Brewer SC, Wunderink RG, Jones CB, Leeper KVJ. Ventilator-associated pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chest 1996;109:1019-29.
Richard P, Le FR, Chamoux C, Pannier M, Espaze E, Richet H. Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak in a burn unit: role of antimicrobials in the emergence of multiply resistant strains. J Infect Dis 1994;170:377-83.
Mendelson MH, Gurtman A, Szabo S, Neibart E, Meyers BR, Policar M, et al. Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in patients with AIDS [review]. Clin Infec Dis 1994;18:886-95.
Govan JR, Deretic V. Microbial pathogenesis in cystic fibrosis: mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkolderia cepacia. Microbiol Rev 1996;60:539-74.
Van Delden C, Igewski B. Cell-to-Cell Signaling and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections. Emerging Infectious Diseases 1998; 4. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol4no4/vandelden.htm.

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