A recent study conducted at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus found that spinal cord patients are often in danger of contracting infections and diseases during hospital rehabilitation, according to Digital Journal.
Here are six things to know:
1. The study found that while rates of microbial infections in hospitals are falling due to improved hygiene, they remain problematic.
2. Over 30 years of data were referred to during the study and the cases of 1,203 patients with spinal cord injuries were analyzed.
3. 564 of these patients developed pneumonia or wound infections during inpatient care.
4. Spinal cord injuries may cause immune system paralysis, harming patients' long-term recovery from pneumonia and other ailments during the acute phase.
5. Lead researcher, Jan M. Schwab, MD, PhD, of The Ohio State University said: "These findings provide the first extensive prospective analytical evidence that hospital-acquired infections are predictive for worse outcome with respect to both survival and long-term functional outcome after spinal cord injury."
6. The researchers believe that hospitals must keep patients away from injections and other potentially harmful treatment options while continuing to improve hygienic standards.
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