“Always put your baby to sleep on his back. Use a pacifier at sleep time. Ury swaddling your child. Have her sleep in a crib in your room. Make sure the crib mattress is firm and tight-fitting.”

PARENTS (wwwParents.com)

1. Place your baby on his or her back for all sleep times—for naps and at night. Some parents may be concerned that a baby who sleeps on his or her back will choke if he or she spits up during sleep. However, babies’ anatomy and gag reflex will prevent them from choking while sleeping on their backs.

Babies who sleep on their backs are much less likely to die of SIDS than babies who sleep on their sides or stomachs.

2. Use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib or bassinet, covered only by a fitted sheet. Some parents might feel like they should place their baby on a soft surface, such as memory foam, to help him or her to be more comfortable while sleeping. However, soft surfaces can increase the risk of sleep-related death. A firm sleep surface helps reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation.

3. Have the baby share your room, not your bed. Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair alone, with you, or with anyone else. Some parents may feel like they should share their bed with their baby to help them feel more connected. However, accidental suffocation, strangulation, and wedging (for example, being stuck between two objects such as a mattress and a wall) can happen when a baby is sleeping in an adult bed or other unsafe sleep surfaces. Room sharing is much safer than bed sharing and may decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%.

4. Keep soft objects, such as pillows and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Some parents may feel they should add soft objects to their baby’s crib to help keep their baby warm and comfortable while sleeping. However, soft objects and loose bedding, like stuffed toys, sheets, comforters, and blankets, can increase the risk of suffocation and other sleep-related deaths. If you’re worried about your baby getting cold during sleep, you can dress her or him in sleep clothing (like a wearable blanket) to keep your baby warm.

5. Do not allow smoking around your baby. Smoke in the baby’s surroundings is a major risk factor for SIDS. Quitting smoking can be hard, but it is one of the best ways parents and caregivers can protect their health and their baby’s health. For help in quitting, call the quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit smokefree.gov.

6. Breastfeed as Long as You Can

Breastfeeding your baby can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%, though experts aren’t sure why. Some think breast milk may protect babies from infections that raise their SIDS risk. Do not drink alcohol if you breastfeed, because that raises your baby’s risk of SIDS. In addition, the simple touch is helpful. Skin-to-skin contact is important for your baby’s development.

 7. Immunize Your Baby

Evidence shows babies who’ve been immunized in accordance with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have a 50% reduced risk of SIDS compared with babies who aren’t fully immunized.

8. Consider Using a Pacifier to Put Baby to Sleep 

Putting your baby to sleep with a pacifier may also help prevent SIDS, though researchers aren’t sure why. There are a few tips to follow when using a pacifier:

1. If you’re breastfeeding, wait until your baby is breastfeeding regularly (at least 1 month old) before starting to use a pacifier. Introducing a pacifier too soon can lead to nipple confusion and cause your baby to prefer the pacifier’s nipple over your own.
2. Don’t force your baby to take the pacifier if he doesn’t want it.
3. Put the pacifier in your baby’s mouth when you put him down to sleep, but don’t put it back in his mouth after he falls asleep.
4. Keep the pacifier clean, and buy a new one if the nipple is damaged.
5. Don’t coat the pacifier with honey, alcohol, or any other substance.

9. Keep Your Baby From Overheating

Because overheating may raise a baby’s risk of SIDS, dress your infant in light, comfortable clothes for sleeping, and keep the room temperature at a level that’s comfortable for an adult.

If you’re worried about your baby staying warm, dress him in a “onesie,” pajamas that cover arms, legs, hands, and feet, or place him in a “sleep sack” (a wearable blanket). However, don’t use a regular blanket — your baby can get tangled in it or pull the blanket over his face.

10. Steer Clear of Products That Claim to Reduce the Risk of SIDS

It’s best to avoid any product that says it can lower your baby’s risk of SIDS, because they haven’t been proven safe or effective. Cardiac monitors and electronic respirators also haven’t been proven to reduce SIDS risk, so avoid these, too.

11. Don’t Give Honey to an Infant Under 1 Year Old

Because honey can lead to botulism in very young children, never give honey to a child under 1 year old. Botulism and the bacteria that cause it may be linked to SIDS.

Remember, your baby’s health care provider is always available to answer any questions you have about SIDS, SIDS prevention, and keeping your baby warm, happy, and safe.

“As a result of efforts by the Institute and other organizations, the sudden infant death rate is at an all-time low. However there are still about 4,000 sleep-related infant deaths that occur each year in the US. This research is aimed at identifying possible medical vulnerabilities that put infants at greater risk for sudden death.”

American SIDS Institute

“The first step in infection control is hand hygiene.”

U.S. Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health NCBI

“Create daily and terminal cleaning protocols and checklists for patient-care areas and equipment. Perform daily cleaning using a C. difficile sporicidal agent (EPA List K agent). Clean and disinfect the patient-care environment (including the immediate vicinity around a CDI patient and high touch surfaces) at least once a day, including the toilets.  Clean and disinfect all shared equipment prior to use by another patient.”

CDC Centers for disease control and prevention

The purpose of this article is to help broaden the public in knowing about HAIs including how their family or friend should be cared for when in a hospital with what they can do when visiting a loved one in a health facility for both the patient’s and visitor’s benefit.  

History of HAIs

Let us start with some history. In England in the 1830s, the term hospitalism was coined by Sir James Simpson to describe HAIs. In those days, it was believed that infection was spread because of inadequate ventilation and stagnant air. To prevent infection, windows were opened, and whenever possible care was taken to prevent overcrowding of hospital rooms. Little was known about microbes and their pathogenicity, and consequently little was done about personal hygiene. In Victorian society, the idea of one’s personal hygiene being connected to infection was taken personally and was met with great resistance.

Despite the efforts of medical personnel, many patients died of overwhelming sepsis following preventable infections. In the late 1860s after much persistence, Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, introduced the concept of antisepsis, which significantly decreased death from postoperative infection. After penicillin was introduced in 1941, postsurgical infection rates and deaths from postsurgical pneumonia were both dramatically decreased.

Today, modern medicine has brought a more thorough understanding of pathogens and the epidemiology of the diseases they cause. Unfortunately, in spite of the vast amounts of medical advances that have occurred over the years, the healthcare industry is still faced with the enormous task of preventing and reducing the risk of HAIs.

Today HAIs are defined as nosocomial infections which are infections that are acquired in hospitals and other healthcare facilities (like a nursing home or subacute rehab facility). To be classified as a nosocomial infection the patient must have been admitted for reasons other than an infection. He or she must also have shown no signs of active or incubating infection upon admission.

On average, nosocomial patients stay in the hospital 2.5 times longer than patients without infection. An estimated 40 percent of nosocomial infections are caused by poor hand hygiene (WHO). Hospital staff can significantly reduce the number of cases with regular hand washing. They should also wear protective garments and gloves when working with patients.

Invasive procedures increase the risk of nosocomial infections. Noninvasive procedures are recommended when possible. Most nosocomial infections are due to bacteria. Since antibiotics are frequently used within hospitals, the types of bacteria and their resistance to antibiotics is different than bacteria outside of the hospital. Nosocomial infections can be serious and difficult to treat, especially if it’s a multi-resistant bacteria.

What put’s a person at risk?

Harmful microbes are all around us, and although infection poses a threat to everyone, certain people are more at risk of infection. For example, people in healthcare facilities are more at risk than those in the community simply because they are exposed to others who are infected with disease-causing organisms. These people are exposed to so many other peoples germs and bacteria as opposed to a private home simply puts you at potential for picking up them if not proper prevention is carried out by all that come in contact with you, starting simply with hand washing by the patient and those that see the patient (medical staff to visitors).

Even more at risk are special populations of patients, such as those with compromised immune systems, those who have undergone recent surgery, those with poor nutritional status, and those with open wounds. Patients undergoing certain medical procedures, such as intubations and central lines, are also at increased risk. Medical devices also carry a risk of infection. Urinary catheters, central lines, mechanical ventilation equipment, and surgical drains all put patients at risk for infection. Any foreign object in the body or any unnatural opening of the body (surgical wound or trauma wound) puts that individual at risk for local infection to that area and if left untreated goes to general infection (temp greater than 100.5 or 101 F).

Further, certain medications and various chemotherapies weaken patients’ immune systems, leaving patients more vulnerable to infection. The length of time spent in a healthcare facility also affects the risk of infection: The longer the stay, the longer that person is exposed to much more bacteria than at home putting greater risk of that patient’s chances of acquiring a HAI. Over 25 years ago and further back the doctors kept patients in the hospital longer than needed thinking this was the best care for the patient but now it’s get the patient out as soon as possible when the patient has reached clearance by MD’s to be discharged safely home and either the pt is back to normal or can safely heal at home exposed to less bacteria and germs since the hospital has so much more obviously due to population.

The most common method of transmission is by direct contact with an infectious microorganism. Sputum, blood, and feces are common vehicles for microbe transmission. Healthcare workers and patients spread microbes via droplets generated by talking, sneezing, or coughing. Small particles of evaporated droplets (droplet nuclei) and dust particles carry microorganisms and spread infection over long distances.

Infection can also be spread through inanimate objects known as fomites, such as improperly sterilized medical equipment that is used on more than one patient. Healthcare workers who move from patient to patient carry infectious organisms on their clothes, stethoscopes, and phones. Other modes of transmission include the spread of infectious agents through food and water or through vectors, such as mosquitoes, flies, and rats.

Though hospitals throughout America have this problem to face in all hospitals in America and elsewhere, these facilities have developed infection control people who continuously make policies/procedures in their facilities to prevent the spread of infection through all routes with the knowledge we know today as opposed to 25 years ago and further back regarding infection.

“The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimates that 42,220 new cases of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and some 30,200 people are expected to die of primary adult liver cancer in 2018. The five-year survival rate is just 17.7 percent. Having hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or cirrhosis are significant risk factors for adult primary liver cancer.”

American Association For Cancer Research (AACR) Foundation

“Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of liver disease in children and has more than doubled over the past 20 years.  About 100 million individuals are estimated to have NAFLD.”

The American Liver Foundation

“Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build up of extra fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. It is normal for the liver to contain some fat. However, if more than 5% – 10% percent of the liver’s weight is fat, then it is called a fatty liver (steatosis).”

American Liver Foundation

“The liver has many functions, including detoxifying of harmful chemicals, breakdown of drugs, filtering of blood, secretion of bile and production of blood-clotting proteins.”

MAYO CLINIC