hospital acquired infections

British diagnostics startup Atlas Genetics will use $20M Series C to start U.S. clinical trials for STI testing

Atlas Genetics, a British molecular diagnostics startup that creates rapid point-of-care tests for infectious diseases like chlamydia, will launch U.S. clinical trials with a $20 million Series C round. It will also expand its test offerings in the sexually transmitted infection and hospital acquired infection markets, Atlas said in a release. The company’s io(R) molecular diagnostic cartridge contains all the […]

By Meghana Keshavan

Xenex raises $25M to fight hospital-acquired infections

Xenex Disinfection Services just raised $25 million in financing to help it address the persistent issue of hospital-acquired infections, which costs the healthcare system some $30 billion a year. The San Antonio, TX-based company develops robots that use ultraviolet lights to combat bacteria, viruses, mold and spores. Financing was led by new investors Brandon Point […]

By Dan Verel

Hospital-acquired infections: paranoia or legitimate concern?

Hospital-acquired infections and central line infections have been a significant focus within healthcare of late, with health systems undertaking myriad approaches to reduce or eliminate them, in turn bringing down costs and improving patient satisfaction and , seemingly, outcomes. But is the fear overblown? Karen Sullivan Sibert, MD a Los Angeles anesthesiologist, seems to think […]

By Dan Verel
Health IT

Do we need a National Patient Safety Board?

To mark the anniversary of the Institute of Medicine’s watershed report “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” the West Health Institute’s West Wire blog is running a series of interviews between its chief science and medical officer Dr. Joe Smith and IOM committee members who helped produce the report, as well as […]

By Joe Smith, MD

How did adverse events at hospitals fall 17 percent since 2010?

Hospitals are improving their patient safety track record, particularly when it comes to reducing the pressure ulcers that can result in complications like infections and lengthened hospital stays. A report released this week by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality  showed a 17 percent decline in hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013. Last year alone, […]

By Stephanie Baum
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To do a better job with the next Ebola outbreak, recreate it – safely

As the aftermath of the Ebola scare sets out across the United States, the conversation is transitioning from existential alarm to more constructive questions about America’s vulnerability to infectious diseases. It is now clear that the Dallas hospital at the epicenter of the initial crisis lacked the training needed to deal with even a single […]

By Sharon Sloane

Hospital hires Lisa the killer robot to fight hospital-acquired infections

A small district hospital in Northern California’s wine country is taking a big step to combat hospital-acquired infections and other bacteria. Sonoma Valley Hospital, overseen by the Sonoma Valley Healthcare District, recently acquired a germ-killing robot manufactured by Texas-based Xenex Disinfection Services. Its name is Lisa. From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat: “Unlike standard disinfection […]

By Dan Verel

Emergency department design: Three ways to contain superbugs

Today, the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa is turning attention to the strategies hospitals use to contain infectious diseases. How do emergency departments serve and treat highly contagious patients while keeping other patients, clinicians, and the community at large safe? Are U.S. hospitals prepared for outbreaks of highly contagious diseases? Many of the answers […]

By Katheryn Fricke

Disinfection device has high kill rate against MERS and MRSA in hospital rooms

Medizone International says it and a team of researchers may have come up with a cure for one of the most vexing issues affecting hospitals – hospital-acquired infections. With a team of American and Canadian researchers, San Francisco-based Medizone announced “excellent” mid-point results for its AsepticSure product, which has shown a “100 percent ‘cure’ rate […]

By Dan Verel

Study: Elevator buttons in hospitals contain more bacteria than toilets

It’s no secret that hospitals can be germ factories, but the extent of it has just been explored in a new Canadian study that found hospital elevators, of all places, harbor the most bacteria that can lead to infections. In a study published in Open Medicine, researchers at the University of Toronto found that elevator […]

By Dan Verel

New funding for next-generation fecal transplant company

Next-gen fecal transplant company Rebiotix seems to be in the midst of a rather hefty funding round. The Minnesota-based startup filed equity-raising paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to the tune of $25 million. According to the filing, Rebiotix has raised $18 million thus far. Rebiotix was founded in 2011, and raised about $5 million then from angel investors. […]

By Meghana Keshavan

Thermedx gets 510K clearance for fluid warming system

Thermedx, a maker of “smart” surgical irrigation products, has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for a fluid warming product that it says could help reduce risk of hypothermia. Physicians traditionally use cold surgical irrigation fluids in both inpatient and outpatient procedures, but Thermedx says the chilling liquids can triple the risk […]

By Meghana Keshavan