Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Kalorama: Superbug concerns will drive healthcare facility sterilisation services
A device-related superbug outbreak in a Los Angeles hospital has revived concerns over both device and facilities cleaning and sterilisation, says Kalorama Information, which will drive growth in the market for these services.
Kalorama notes that the effectiveness of many antibiotics is waning dramatically, as more and more types of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This is forcing the industry to re-evaluate prevention, diagnosis, and treatment plans for patients in hospitals and other health facilities as well as ways to clean and sterilise the facilities themselves.
Nearly 180 patients at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Centre may have been exposed to potentially deadly bacteria from infected duodenoscopes, and two deaths are linked to the outbreak. The recent exposure to CRE (carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae) is thought to be a result of a mostly routine endoscopic procedure.
Kalorama says the healthcare facility sterilisation portion of the infection control business is a $3.1 billion business worldwide.
"In contrast, the market to diagnose and treat for these infections is a $10 billion market," says Melissa Elder, Kalorama Information analyst and the author of the report. "The recent carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae cases discovered in California once again highlight the importance of sterilisation of medical equipment and facilities."
A growing list of treatment-resistant bacteria has surfaced in the medical community. CRE is a highly drug resistant family of germs which has recently caused concern in the medical community around the world. Some reports suggest CRE is resistant to most antibiotics and may cause death in up to 50% of infected patients.
Sterilising and disinfecting the reprocessing equipment, instruments in the health facility, the equipment, furniture, and all areas of patient and healthcare worker contact provide the best approach to preventing the spread of infection. This in combination with proper handwashing techniques and procedures, screening and diagnosing, using low-risk equipment all play a vital role in this fight.
The Kalorama Information report, 'Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Control Markets', addresses the market opportunities for controlling infections in the health facility and focuses on resistant health infections such as CRE.
Image courtesy of the CDC
The report can be obtained at:
www.kaloramainformation.com
26th February 2015