Comments on: Tom Brady and his knee infection http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87794 Anonymous Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:18:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87794 Survivor:<br/>Believe it or not, it is indeed hard to determine which organisms were contracted in the hosptial and which were brought to the hospital by the patient. This is not the patient's fault, but often it is not the hospitals's fault. Speciating the culprit bacteria and determing a hosiptal source is very difficult/often impossible (in most cases but usually not the ones where the culprits are obvious poor staff hygeine as multiple patients come down with the same thing on a given floor...think about it). So therefore the hosptial is blamed whether or not it is the case. I am not excusing poor hygeine. Everyone should wash hands before/after touching a patient....period. Strep ("flesh eating disease in your words") is indeed part of the normal flora on everyone's skin. The issue is how does it cause disease in one individual and not another? Additionally, the stats you quote are from extrapolated early 1980's data. Look at the actual article. Unfortunatately, what you blame on "hospital aquired infection" is in reality much more complicated issue related to resistent bacteria in the populace (due to antibiotic overuse caused by both MD overprescribing and layperson expectations of MD's in the office), a less healthy and aging population, and yes hospital sanitary standards. HH brings up avery good point about how this can be a never event when it happens in such a patient who I am sure had class A care from start to finish. Trust me on this one. No doc is going to want to risk an infection on a QB who one 3/4 super bowls, yet he still had an infection complication. Good luck in your life. Survivor:
Believe it or not, it is indeed hard to determine which organisms were contracted in the hosptial and which were brought to the hospital by the patient. This is not the patient’s fault, but often it is not the hospitals’s fault. Speciating the culprit bacteria and determing a hosiptal source is very difficult/often impossible (in most cases but usually not the ones where the culprits are obvious poor staff hygeine as multiple patients come down with the same thing on a given floor…think about it). So therefore the hosptial is blamed whether or not it is the case. I am not excusing poor hygeine. Everyone should wash hands before/after touching a patient….period. Strep (“flesh eating disease in your words”) is indeed part of the normal flora on everyone’s skin. The issue is how does it cause disease in one individual and not another? Additionally, the stats you quote are from extrapolated early 1980′s data. Look at the actual article. Unfortunatately, what you blame on “hospital aquired infection” is in reality much more complicated issue related to resistent bacteria in the populace (due to antibiotic overuse caused by both MD overprescribing and layperson expectations of MD’s in the office), a less healthy and aging population, and yes hospital sanitary standards. HH brings up avery good point about how this can be a never event when it happens in such a patient who I am sure had class A care from start to finish. Trust me on this one. No doc is going to want to risk an infection on a QB who one 3/4 super bowls, yet he still had an infection complication. Good luck in your life.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87751 Anonymous Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:55:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87751 Happy, you rule again! Happy, you rule again!

]]> By: Survivorhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87739 Survivor Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:14:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87739 Hospital Acquired Infections are the 4th leading cause of death in this country. More than AIDS, Breast Cancer and homicides combined. It is the dirty little secret of a well bankrolled medical industry. <br/><br/>Yes, you are right even the greatest football player at a great hospital with a great surgeon is not immune...because germs are no respector of person. It is a well documented fact that even at the best facilities hand-hygiene rates are only about 40%. That means doctors and staff are running around spreading germs from patient to patient. <br/><br/>At the 'top-rated' hospital were I contracted 'man-eating flesh disease' we found out that an administrator did an equipment inventory of the OR in the middle of my surgery. An investigation by the Dept. of Public Health found that this 'top-rated' celebrity hospital was also in violation of no less than 10 federal regulations for infection control and surgical services. So much for reputation.<br/><br/>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,the Society for Healthcare Epidemiologist of America(SHEA)both admit when speaking in generalities that 70% of all hospital infections are preventable. It's only when protecting the individual liability of a doctor who has erred that they back peddle to a position of 'these things happen'<br/><br/>I hope that Mr. Brady will be okay. I had to have 6 additional surgeries due to my infection and nearly died. I hope that he will also consider being a voice and advocate for Patient safety when this is over. He is very blessed to not become one of the 100,000 people a year who die from Hospital Acquired Infections.<br/>www.PatientSafetyASAP.org<br/>www.AliciaCole.com Hospital Acquired Infections are the 4th leading cause of death in this country. More than AIDS, Breast Cancer and homicides combined. It is the dirty little secret of a well bankrolled medical industry.

Yes, you are right even the greatest football player at a great hospital with a great surgeon is not immune…because germs are no respector of person. It is a well documented fact that even at the best facilities hand-hygiene rates are only about 40%. That means doctors and staff are running around spreading germs from patient to patient.

At the ‘top-rated’ hospital were I contracted ‘man-eating flesh disease’ we found out that an administrator did an equipment inventory of the OR in the middle of my surgery. An investigation by the Dept. of Public Health found that this ‘top-rated’ celebrity hospital was also in violation of no less than 10 federal regulations for infection control and surgical services. So much for reputation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,the Society for Healthcare Epidemiologist of America(SHEA)both admit when speaking in generalities that 70% of all hospital infections are preventable. It’s only when protecting the individual liability of a doctor who has erred that they back peddle to a position of ‘these things happen’

I hope that Mr. Brady will be okay. I had to have 6 additional surgeries due to my infection and nearly died. I hope that he will also consider being a voice and advocate for Patient safety when this is over. He is very blessed to not become one of the 100,000 people a year who die from Hospital Acquired Infections.
http://www.PatientSafetyASAP.org
http://www.AliciaCole.com

]]> By: The Happy Hospitalisthttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87732 The Happy Hospitalist Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:19:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/tom-brady-and-his-knee-infection.html#comment-87732 Imagine, the whole world is watching. The greatest football players going to the greatest surgeons at the greatest hospitals. And athelete at the top of his physical health. <br/><br/>And they can't prevent billions of years of bacterial evolution from infecting the mans knee. <br/><br/>Yet the clowns at the Medicare National Bank want to make perioperative infections, specifically for orthopaedic surgeries, a never event. <br/><br/>You have just witnessed the ridiculous policies of a government agency gone mad. When you have the best surgeons treating the most physically fit patients at the best hospitals, with the whole world watching, and you STILL get an infection, you have no credibility as an organization when you suggest the rest of us hummble simpleton providers could be perfect in our outcomes. A never even is just that. Never. And that is simply not possible. Imagine, the whole world is watching. The greatest football players going to the greatest surgeons at the greatest hospitals. And athelete at the top of his physical health.

And they can’t prevent billions of years of bacterial evolution from infecting the mans knee.

Yet the clowns at the Medicare National Bank want to make perioperative infections, specifically for orthopaedic surgeries, a never event.

You have just witnessed the ridiculous policies of a government agency gone mad. When you have the best surgeons treating the most physically fit patients at the best hospitals, with the whole world watching, and you STILL get an infection, you have no credibility as an organization when you suggest the rest of us hummble simpleton providers could be perfect in our outcomes. A never even is just that. Never. And that is simply not possible.

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