Re: More about MRSA Staph

[Guest guest]

Dear :

FYI: I'm sure other physicians will notice your post

and have similar comments or additional information.

The way you presented the statistics in your

discussion of MRSA may be misleading. Although the

prevalence of nasal staph seems correct, only a small

fraction of individuals actually carry MRSA. MRSA,

methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a

resistant strain of staph that is difficult to treat.

Generally speaking, only one antibiotic, vancomycin

remains in the physician's arsenal. Hospitals or

units within hospitals are sometimes shut down because

of the outbreak of MRSA staph. This has to do more

with the public's reaction to the news that is

sometimes inflamed by the media than it does with

effective infectious disease policy. Good infectious

disease policy can usually prevent the bug from doing

havoc. The bug, a bacterium as you mentioned, is bred

in hospitals or wherever there is a high use of

penicillinase resistant antibiotics, like methicillin,

that are resistant to the bacterium's defenses.

Methicillin resistance is therefore a capability only

specialized, virulent bacteria have. This explains

the unusually vigillant responses by health care

workers and the low prevalence of the bacterium in the

regular population.

Tom Simpson, MD

San Francisco

DeSmet RBHR 11/03

For that reason the number

--- Frost roger@...> wrote:

> Hi Sue

> About MRSA - 25 to 30% of the population carry staph

> bacterium (MRSA is a

> staph bacterium) in their noses at any given time.

> It isn't less prevalent

> in any country and it's just as resistant to

> antibiotics in the UK as it is

> in Belgium or the USA or anywhere. The people that

> carry it can do so

> without knowing most of the time. Hospitals in the

> UK as elsewhere are

> stringent on testing and isolation - I should know

> as I was put in isolation

> at Stafford Hospital with visitors made to wear

> gowns and masks - the

> reason: I had been an in patient of another hospital

> in the previous 6

> weeks - I was subsequently cleared. My mother had

> the same treatment as she

> had been into 2 hospitals within a short period. If

> you are found to be a

> carrier your records are marked and you will be

> thoroughly checked and

> isolated should you ever be an inpatient again. The

> average patient doesn't

> see this. All hospital workers are regularly

> checked as are patients on

> the pre med. The risk is the same across the world.

> Every country has good

> hospitals and some not so good. The press over here

> tend to make matters

> worse.

> The following site explains it in some detail:

> http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Aresist/mrsafaq.htm

>

> Rog BHR 2001 R.Treacy

>

> Re: new to site, fell

> off a cliff

>

>

>

> Dear all,

> Today I went to see My GP to ask if she

> would refer me to

> see MR.Treacy in Birmingham. At first she said

> that our local health

> authority had such a funding crisis at the

> moment that they had

> cancelled all elective surgery for the rest of

> this year(I'm

> assuming she ment financial year April 5th) she

> also said that the

> referrals she had done for patients to Leeds had

> been 'turned back'

> by Leeds as their waiting list was so long they

> were only doing

> operations in their Local area. I explained how

> important it was for

> me to stay active and not have to take things

> easy for the rest of

> my life. She didn't agree with this and said I

> should remember that

> I damaged my hip badly in an acccident and to

> stop pushing

> pushchairs up hills etc. She also read out what

> my consultant had

> written in December when I saw him last. He said

> that a hip

> replacement was not indicated as yet. This was

> why she said she

> couldn't refer me and my OS whould have referred

> me to see a BHR

> specilliat if it was right for my situation but

> probably wasn't. I

> explained that THR was not indicated because the

> consultant wanted

> to wait until the very last moment due to my age

> and non-sutability

> for a THR. I also felt that because my surgeon

> had be trained where

> there was NO hip resurfacing and didn't have the

> experience to

> deceide on my sutabillity for BHR and the only

> person that should be

> saying yes or no to me about BHR was somebody

> like Mr Treacy who had

> performed so many. I mentioned Dr De.Smet and

> the 6 month choice

> recomendations and how I would go to Belgium and

> have it done their

> in an ideal world. I said please please please

> please please. I

> wouldn't leave her office until she wrote down

> on her pad Mr Treacy,

> Birmingham royal Orthapeadic hospital.She agreed

> to refer me which

> she did reluctantly saying don't be suprised if

> it gets knocked back

> from somewhere. If it does, I will get busking

> and go to Belgium. I

> am sending Dr DeSmet my exrays(I luckerly have

> copys), just in case

> it can be done there.

> I still have 2x@5inch screws going through my

> femur that attached

> the ball back on after the accident so they need

> to be removed and

> the rest of the metal work at some point. Keep

> your fingers crossed

> for me. Thank-you for all your excellent advice

> that got my referral.

> Loads of Love

> Zoe

>

>

> > Zoe

> >

> > I am having a resurfacing in Sheffield in

> August by Ian Stockley

> at

> > the Northern General Hospital.

> >

> > I booked a private consultaion with him at the

> Thornbury Hospital,

> > Broomhill, Sheffield. He took one look at my

> range of movement

>

=== message truncated ===

[Guest guest]

Hi Tom

I had no intention of misleading. I humbly agree with your statement. I

know I didn't put a number on the amount of people who have MRSA as apposed

to staph.

What I was doing was informing Sue that no matter were you go in the World

their are roughly the same percentage in the human population. She was

saying that there was no MRSA in Belgium.

I mentioned the press in the UK as (I suppose they do elsewhere) they manage

to whip up a frenzy. Thankyou for supporting that fact.

I did reference a site where more information than I stated was available.

Rog

Re: new to site, fell

> > off a cliff

> >

> >

> >

> > Dear all,

> > Today I went to see My GP to ask if she

> > would refer me to

> > see MR.Treacy in Birmingham. At first she said

> > that our local health

> > authority had such a funding crisis at the

> > moment that they had

> > cancelled all elective surgery for the rest of

> > this year(I'm

> > assuming she ment financial year April 5th) she

> > also said that the

> > referrals she had done for patients to Leeds had

> > been 'turned back'

> > by Leeds as their waiting list was so long they

> > were only doing

> > operations in their Local area. I explained how

> > important it was for

> > me to stay active and not have to take things

> > easy for the rest of

> > my life. She didn't agree with this and said I

> > should remember that

> > I damaged my hip badly in an acccident and to

> > stop pushing

> > pushchairs up hills etc. She also read out what

> > my consultant had

> > written in December when I saw him last. He said

> > that a hip

> > replacement was not indicated as yet. This was

> > why she said she

> > couldn't refer me and my OS whould have referred

> > me to see a BHR

> > specilliat if it was right for my situation but

> > probably wasn't. I

> > explained that THR was not indicated because the

> > consultant wanted

> > to wait until the very last moment due to my age

> > and non-sutability

> > for a THR. I also felt that because my surgeon

> > had be trained where

> > there was NO hip resurfacing and didn't have the

> > experience to

> > deceide on my sutabillity for BHR and the only

> > person that should be

> > saying yes or no to me about BHR was somebody

> > like Mr Treacy who had

> > performed so many. I mentioned Dr De.Smet and

> > the 6 month choice

> > recomendations and how I would go to Belgium and

> > have it done their

> > in an ideal world. I said please please please

> > please please. I

> > wouldn't leave her office until she wrote down

> > on her pad Mr Treacy,

> > Birmingham royal Orthapeadic hospital.She agreed

> > to refer me which

> > she did reluctantly saying don't be suprised if

> > it gets knocked back

> > from somewhere. If it does, I will get busking

> > and go to Belgium. I

> > am sending Dr DeSmet my exrays(I luckerly have

> > copys), just in case

> > it can be done there.

> > I still have 2x@5inch screws going through my

> > femur that attached

> > the ball back on after the accident so they need

> > to be removed and

> > the rest of the metal work at some point. Keep

> > your fingers crossed

> > for me. Thank-you for all your excellent advice

> > that got my referral.

> > Loads of Love

> > Zoe

> >

> >

> > > Zoe

> > >

> > > I am having a resurfacing in Sheffield in

> > August by Ian Stockley

> > at

> > > the Northern General Hospital.

> > >

> > > I booked a private consultaion with him at the

> > Thornbury Hospital,

> > > Broomhill, Sheffield. He took one look at my

> > range of movement

> >

> === message truncated ===

>

>

>

>

>