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Lawsuits: KY hospital filthy, contaminated

Infection Control Monitor, August 12, 2005

Ten former patients and the estate of an 11th are suing a Kentucky hospital, claiming they developed serious infections because the "premises were unsanitary and infested with infectious agents," reports the The Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY.

A spokesperson from Jewish Hospital in Louisville says the suits are "without merit." The spokesperson added that the hospital is among 300 hospitals nationally that voluntarily provide infection data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and that the results are consistently better than the CDC's standards.

"Their data says we are a leader in infection control," says Linda McGinity Jackson, spokesperson for Jewish Hospital.

The 11 lawsuits claim that people either developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, which are usually not dangerous to healthy people.

Further, the suits claim that Jewish Hospital knew of the unsanitary conditions and did not warn patients of the potential dangers. Physicians allegedly performed surgery in operating rooms that had not been cleaned.

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