Birthing Center 

   Urgent Care/ER

   Extended Care

   Senior Apartments

   Volunteers

   Auxiliary Thrift Shop

   Home

Post-operative infection is rare at Mile Bluff

By Larry Arnold

A recent report released by the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) showed Hess Memorial Hospital’s rate for post-operative infections was much lower than the national average for 2006 and 2007.

The national standard for postoperative infections was five percent during those two years. Statistics for Hess Memorial Hospital’s surgery department showed a rate of less than half the national standard. In 2006 the rate was just 1.7 percent and the 2007 rate was 2.01 percent.

That portion of the SCIP report which rated Hess Memorial Hospital for its surgical infection prevention practices, as compared to other hospitals in the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, shows that Hess Memorial had the best score of any of the 35 hospitals in the health cooperative

in six of seven categories.

Kathy Noe, RN, who is Mile Bluff’s Infection Control Practitioner, described the statistics and reports as “A part of a huge national project to track surgical wound infections; such infections range from simple skin infections at the incision site to infections that are deeper in the tissues of

the patient’s body.”

She noted that minor infections are tracked for 30 days after surgery, while infections that follow knee or hip replacement are kept under observation for a year following the surgery.

When asked about staph infections, she noted that staph is present on most of our skins, so a patient can have a simple staph infection from a pimple or minor cut. These are usually treated with oral antibiotics.

When infection occurs after a knee or hip replacement, the patient is usually treated aggressively with antibiotics - usually administered intravenously - to prevent problems with the new joint.

In addition to strict standards of cleanliness and sanitation, other procedures to lessen the chance of postsurgical infection, include:

1. The body temperature of the patient is monitored and an effort is made to keep it as close to normal as possible.

2. 2. Care is taken to properly clean the skin at the surgical site.

3. If the patient has diabetes, every effort is made to keep blood sugar levels within normal range.

4. Most physicians prescribe a pre-operative antibiotic when doing major surgery, so that the antibiotic will be into the patient’s system before the surgery begins. The timeline for the antibiotic is an hour or less prior to the surgery.

In conclusion, Kathy noted that “Patient education regarding proper care of the wound after surgery is very important.” She added: “We work hard to give the patient the best possible experience by maintaining the national standards for surgery practice; we are all extremely proud of what this report says about Hess Memorial Hospital’s surgery department.”

-END-

Caption for photo: Director of Quality, Tricia Price (left) and Infection Control Practitioner Kathy Noe are pleased to report that Mile Bluff’s post-operative infection rate is well below national averages. This is due in part to the dedicated work of Mile Bluff’s surgical staff.

Mile Bluff Medical Center/ 1050 Division St./ Mauston, WI 53948 / 608 847 6161

Mile Bluff Medical Center, 1050 Division Street, Mauston, WI 53948

608 847 6161 or Toll free in WI at 800 252 4377

© 2008 Mile Bluff Medical Center