Columbia University researchers have found data from four New York hospitals that show beds are full of germs, according to an article on the Tyler Morning Telegraph website.
The study found being in a bed previously used by a patient with an infection ups the own risk of infection by 583 percent, according to the current issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
The researchers conclude that “enhanced cleaning measures” are needed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), concur, urging more “aggressive” infection control measures. And recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned hospitals for a second time about the germs that can build up inside a mattress.
Covers should be routinely removed, so the contents can be inspected. “If blood or body fluids from one patient penetrate and get absorbed in a mattress, the fluids can leak out the next time the mattress is used,” harming the next patient, according to the FDA.
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