NH hospital-acquired infections hold steady

By HOLLY RAMER

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — State public health officials say New Hampshire is making progress toward eliminating hospital-acquired infections.

For several years, hospitals have been required under state law to provide data on patients who develop infections after heart, colon and knee surgeries or through catheters inserted in blood vessels near the heart.

The most recent data, released Tuesday, shows there were 110 infections in 2011. The total was similar in 2010, but the report said it was 40 percent fewer than expected based on national data.

Four hospitals had fewer infections than expected — Catholic Medical Center and Elliot Hospital in Manchester, Concord Hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

The report also looks at how well hospitals adhere to infection prevention practices. Compared to 2010, hospitals maintained or improved their efforts overall.