Cedars-Sinai Medical Center said Friday that a heart surgeon unwittingly infected five patients during valve replacement surgeries, due to tiny tears in his latex surgical glove, earlier this year. The infections caused four of the patients to need a second operation, officials said. The infections occurred after the tears in the latex surgical gloves routinely worn by the doctor allowed bacteria from a skin inflammation on his hand to pass into the patients’ hearts, according to the hospital. The patients survived the second operations and are still recovering, hospital officials said.
With healthcare acquired infections being very common in the US, many hospitals have started more programs to reduce these infections.
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