Lakeshore battles C. Difficile

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca



Three deaths attributed to C. Difficile bacteria so far this year at Lakeshore General Hospital are still “three deaths too many,� West Island Health and Social Services Network interim director Suzanne Turmel said at a news conference held at the hospital last week.

“They were elderly patients, but that’s still three too many,� Turmel said.

It’s become such a big concern that anybody coming to the hospital complaining of diarrhea is immediately isolated for three days — minimum.

“People should know that when they come to the hospital, they are coming to a place where people are sick and where there are bacteria. You should wash your hands when you come in, you should wash your hands when you leave and again before you eat. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth before you have washed your hands,� Turmel warned.

The hospital currently has six patients in isolation with the C. Difficile bacteria; none are considered life-threatening cases at the moment, Turmel confirmed. Patients contract the bacteria in a number of different ways, including catching it inside and outside of the hospital.

“It’s a combination of both; they could have come in here and acquired it in passing or they caught it on the street from someone else. They might even have caught it at another institution before coming here, because a many of our patients are transfer cases,� Turmel said, adding it’s up to patients to look out for themselves if a health-care worker forgets to, she said.

“Patients should not be afraid to ask the health-care workers to wash their hands,� Turmel said.

The hospital reported 40 cases of C. Difficile in 2005, but no deaths, compared to 27 cases and three deaths this year.

The bacteria are transferred by hand contact and generally absorbed through the mouth and the digestive system, said LGH infectious-diseases specialist Dr. Ramona Rodrigues.

The hospital has taken steps to limit cases of C. Difficile, starting with adding hand-washing stations equipped with rubbing alcohol all through the hospital and improving other equipment.

“We have also increased the number of employees responsible for limiting the spread of infectious diseases and changed sinks so they can be operated more efficiently,� thereby increasing cleanliness, she said.

Adults are also much more likely to suffer from symptoms of C. Difficile than children are, but children sometimes act as carriers, Rodrigues added.

Turmel said the hospital will never again undergo an ordeal like the gastroenteritis outbreak that closed the hospital temporarily in 2002, but added that if it isn’t an emergency, clients should visit clinics like Statcare, with whom the hospital has a staffing agreement.

“It is not necessary to come to the hospital if it isn’t a serious emergency. It would be preferable for West Islanders to use those facilities if their condition is not life-

threatening,� she said.