Mystery Still Surrounds Hospital Infant Deaths
A deadly infection that spread through the neonatal wing at Miami Children's Hospital may have come in through the pipes
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 2:58 PM EST, Fri, Jun 12, 2009
The infection that killed two infants at Miami Children's Hospital in March may have snuck in through the plumbing, a Miami-Dade Health Department report determined on Tuesday.
The bacteria, known as pseudomonas bacteria, was found on two sinks in the room where three newborns were being housed. One infant survived.
The report concluded the hospital had done everything right as far as caring for the babies, but officials did not have a policy for routinely checking the plumbing system for any "biofilm" build up.
"We're pleased to report that many of the recommendations made by the Miami-Dade County Health Department were already routine practices," the hospital said in a statement Tuesday. "The remaining recommendations are being reviewed and will be acted upon as appropriate."
That news probably comes as little consolation for the parents of the two babies who mysteriously died in March. The deaths sent a shockwave through the community as concerned parents who had infants at the hospital received sketchy reports of what was happening at the hospital. Hospital officials eventually sterilized the area. The room where the two infants died has since been closed down.
First Published: Jun 9, 2009 7:53 PM EST
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