Resources for MRSA Survivors
WHAT IS MRSA?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a form of staph bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics. When acquired in a hospital setting, the infection is a life-threatening condition. The Mayo Clinic and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have comprehensive information on MRSA. HOW CAN MRSA BE SPREAD? There are two types of MRSA infections: community acquired (CA-MRSA) and hospital acquired (HA-MRSA). The community kind typically results in skin infections and--without diminishing the severity of it--is typically treatable. If acquired in the hospital, however, it's usually by a contaminated central line, catheter, or on an implanted material. These can be life-threatening because they are inside the body. I’ve done a lot of research since I became infected with MRSA. I worked with Partnership for Patients and my hospital to determine the possible sources of infection and how to prevent future patients from becoming infected with MRSA. We developed several tools to help prevent contaminants from entering the operating room. But it is impossible to keep all contaminants out of the room. The next important goal is to keep it away from the wound. How do the particles get from the floor to the wound? During our study, we had a hard time determining how the particles (that we know are on the floor) reach the surgical wound. I've read about 20 published articles since our research and there appears to be a new vector of contamination: forced-air patient warming units. |
Resources and Links
"One is Too Many"
-The Rosie Bartel Story for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Feel Like Suing? Here are some resources Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (aggregate of SSI resources, including links to CDC and IHI pages on the topic): MRSA Survivors Network Living with MRSA Brochure from World MRSA Today 
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Rosie Investigates the cause of her infection (3:37)
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Q & A about my life before surgery, patient advocacy and more (8:20)
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