Avoid infections

Optimal preparation for surgery starts at home

(Bild: krone.tv)

In Austria, around 5,000 patients die every year as a result of hospital infections. Antibiotic resistance limits treatment options. The risk of infection increases as the temperature rises. Up to 50% of infections are preventable through optimal hygiene measures with patient participation. Dr. Christoph Klaus, geneticist and gewR. Managing Director of Schülke & Mayr, explains.

12 times more people die from hospital germs than in road traffic. In most cases, however, the danger is not the hospital, but bacteria.

How antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop 
Multi-resistant bacteria are becoming increasingly common in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The reason for this is the frequent and often incorrect use of antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop as a result of the bacteria adapting to these drugs.

Antibiotics are a poison per se, which is used to eliminate bacteria. [...] The more they are used, the more the bacteria adapt.

Dr. Christoph Klaus, Genetiker

Bild: Schülke

This prevents infection
Patients who have a weakened immune system due to chemotherapy or who are undergoing treatment with immunosuppressants are particularly at risk here. The consequences of this range from post-operative wound infections to the use of more aggressive drugs and even death. The latest figures from Austria show that around 40,000 such infections occur in Austria.

Dr. Christoph Klaus, geneticist(Bild: krone.tv)

It has also been shown that the risk of a post-operative wound infection is up to 30 percent higher in the summer months than in the winter months. The reason for this is that bacteria can find better conditions to spread in warm and humid conditions. In the vast majority of cases, the pathogens originate from the patient's own skin flora and therefore it is best to start reducing these bacteria as much as possible 3 to 5 days before an operation. Patients can do this by using antiseptic shower gels. This and appropriate hygiene measures can reduce post-operative wound infections by up to 50 percent.

Watch the video above to find out how you can further reduce the risk of post-operative wound infection and why bacteria are still important for humans.