Infection kills 3 infants at Geisinger neonatal ICU
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Oct 11, 2019
But three babies have died in the past two months, perhaps as "a result of the infection complicating their already vulnerable state", Chief Medical Officer Dr. Edward Hartle says in a statement, per USA Today.
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville said Monday that four of the babies have recovered and one is still being treated with antibiotics.
Out of an abundance of caution, the obstetrics and neonatal teams at Geisinger Medical Center are temporarily diverting mothers likely to deliver prematurely before 32 weeks gestation, and infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation, to other regional institutions in Pennsylvania with appropriate NICU capabilities.
Three infants died and five others were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in a U.S. hospital over the past two months after contracting a deadly waterborne germ, officials have revealed.
The Danville-based hospital continues "to work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate and ensure that proactive measures already taken have eradicated the bacteria as well as prevent any additional cases". Frank Maffei, the hospital's pediatrics chair, said in the press conference.
"Our neonatal unit has never seen a situation involving infections like this", said Dr.
Doctors said they first became aware of an unusual infection in early August.
Instead, hospital officials believe that the bacteria was limited to the intensive care unit.
"It's really too soon to say exactly where the organism is coming from but what we have, the info we have so far suggests it's some place outside of the NICU and we are continuing to pursue that and confirm that as best we can", Dr. He said that the center has done extra cleaning, put filters on taps and changed its medical center processes. Infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation are also being sent to other hospitals.
The Danville hospital's neonatal intensive care unit treats more than 600 babies a year.
