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Dentistry
Bacteria from patient's dental plaque causes ventilator-associated pneumonia
April 10th, 2007
Patients admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) already are seriously ill, so the last thing they need is a new infection. Unfortunately, statistics show that as many as 25 percent of all patients admitted to the ICU and placed on ventilators develop pneumonia, which can be fatal. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a major cause of infection in the hospital, and studies have shown that this infection can add $40,000 to costs and double the length of stay of the patient in the hospital. Ironically, it turns out that the patient’s own dental plaque is a major source of germs that cause ventilator-associated pneumonia. In...
Source: Life Science Weekly (2007-04-10)
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