Pseudomonas Infection: Jaipur, the capital city of the state Rajasthan and the renowned SMS Hospital, which is the largest government hospital in the region, is grappling with a severe outbreak of bacterial infection known as Pseudomonas.
This infectious disease has already infected 17 individuals within the hospital's premises. The situation is further exacerbated by the prevailing monsoon season, characterized by high levels of moisture and frequent rainfall.
These conditions have inadvertently contributed to the transmission and dissemination of the pseudomonas infection.
Due to the critical condition caused by the Pseudomonas infection, the Ophthalmology Department's three operating rooms at SMS Hospital have been temporarily shut down.
On Friday (30 June), no surgical procedures took place in the emergency operation theatre, leading to a delay in emergency surgeries. The initiation of emergency operations was postponed until late at night.
Additionally, the closure of the other three operating rooms will persist, indicating ongoing disruption to scheduled surgeries and treatments.
The hospital administration is actively addressing the situation to ensure the safety and well-being of the patients while working towards resolving the Pseudomonas infection issue.
Several symptoms were seen such as blurriness, redness, impaired vision, swelling the eyes, etc. However, it might be challenging to determine whether the patients' who had cataract surgery and are covered with blindfolds vision is secure.
Pseudomonas infection is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and can be quite dangerous, particularly when it affects the eyes.
If it is left untreated, it can lead to severe damage to the eye within a day. This type of bacterial infection can spread throughout the body, becoming even more serious if it enters the bloodstream.
Individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those in hospitals, are at higher risk.
Pseudomonas is a resilient bacterium that can survive in harsh environments, making it challenging to destroy completely.
It typically causes infections within healthcare settings rather than in the general population, which is why hospitals are a common site of its transmission.
Aside from the eyes, this bacterial infection can also affect other parts of the body, including the blood, lungs, liver, muscles, and other organs.
Treatment involves the use of antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly found in sludge, sewage, contaminated soil, decaying organic matter, and certain plants.
Doctors at SMS Hospital have recently identified a rare occurrence of this particular infection after a significant period of time. In response, dedicated committees have been established to investigate the source and transmission of the infection.
The findings of the investigation are expected to be available within the next 24 hours. It is suspected that the infection might have been transmitted during cataract surgery performed on one of the patients.
Hospital staff and doctors at SMS Hospital deliberately withheld information for a few days regarding the outbreak of a pseudomonas infection.
According to the sources, there were 71 cataract surgeries conducted at Charak Bhawan in the hospital from Monday to Wednesday. Among these patients, one individual visited the outpatient department on Wednesday and presented symptoms of eye swelling and redness.
Subsequently, the patient was admitted as a suspected case of the potentially fatal pseudomonas infection.
On Thursday, 4 to 5 more individuals exhibited similar symptoms, further raising concerns. Shockingly, the hospital's ophthalmologists and administrative staff decided to keep this information concealed.
As a consequence of this secrecy, patients who had undergone cataract or other eye surgeries were not promptly informed about the outbreak and did not receive timely treatment or preventative measures.
This negligence resulted in an increase in both the number of infected patients and the severity of their infections.
