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UMC's pediatric ICU earns top national rating
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Dr. Meena Vohra, medical director for the UMC pediatric ICU, examines X-rays in the pediatric ward. She credits protocols put in place over the years for keeping the unit’s little patients safe. » Buy this photo
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jan. 27, 2012 | 7:59 a.m.
The University Medical Center pediatric intensive care unit is one of only five such units in the United States to earn the Consumer Reports' top rating for preventing bloodstream infections.
UMC and the other four top hospitals had zero bloodstream infections during 2010 and were recognized ahead of 86 hospitals with pediatric ICUs, including Childrens Hospital and UCLA in Los Angeles, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.
An investigation of 91 hospitals released Thursday by the magazine found that pediatric ICUs had infection rates that were 20 percent higher than national rates for adult ICUs and found that too many hospitals aren't following best practices for inserting and maintaining central line catheters, which deliver medication, nutrition and fluids to critically ill patients.
Dr. Meena Vohra, medical director for the UMC pediatric ICU and chief of pediatrics, said the investigation by Consumers Reports confirms that the protocols put in place by her and her staff over the years has paid off.
UMC treats 1,000 pediatric patients a year in its ICU.
"We have a checklist that we carefully follow," she said. "This shows that doctors and nurses and therapists are doing what they're supposed to be doing, ensuring that our patients are as safe as possible."
Measures include careful disinfection of the insertion site, changing dressings regularly, standardizing the procedures for changing the catheter caps and tubes and developing prepackaged kits with all the necessary tools to do the jobs right.
"Dr. Vohra and her staff have worked diligently to always do things the right way," said Dr. Dale Carrison, UMC's chief of staff.
According to Consumer Reports, which used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, there were up to 28,000 ICU infections in 2009, and up to 25 percent of them were fatal.
The magazine said parents of children should ask what the infection rates are at the hospital where they bring their children.
Consumer Reports found that in 2009 there were 1.8 bloodstream infections for every 1,000 days that children were on central lines, compared with an estimated national average of 1.5 bloodstream infection per 1000 central line days in adult ICUs. And some pediatric ICUs had infections more than four times the national average for adult ICUs.
The magazine noted that children have less-developed immune systems and "are thus more susceptible to bacterial infections."
Simple things, like staffers washing their hands, can make a big difference, the magazine reported.
Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumer Union's Safe Patient Project, said patients should speak up if they sense something is wrong with catheters and make themselves part of the team caring for their child.
"If things don't seem right, trust your instincts and say something -- and make sure someone responds to you," she told the magazine. "I've heard too many stories of children who died because the parents trusted the hospital's system. Don't let anything go. You know your child, and you are part of the team."
The magazine used publicly reported infection data to make its ratings, with the high ranking a 5 and the lowest a 1. The magazine noted that less than half of the nation's hospitals are reporting data that are critical to consumers' making intelligent choices for families. "Making that information public motivates hospitals to get better," McGiffert said.
The four hospitals in addition to UMC to earn the top rating of 5 were Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Medical University of South Carolina, Robert Wood John University Hospital in New Jersey and Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.
Sunrise Children's Hospital was the only other hospital in Nevada rated by the magazine. It earned a rating of 3.
Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.
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TWA: Would you please go get your check from Jacob Hafter and cash it? I mean really the things you are saying are so vile noone would utter them without someone paying them. Dr. Vohra and her staff are oustanding. I'm certain that someone who possesses that much capability to hate and discriminate against people based simply upon their skin color or diction probably doesn't have the best moral compass to evaluate hospital care.
UMC is possibly one of the worst med centers in the country,, for gods sake they almost killed a lady and caused her to have a miscariage as they did not take the time to asertain if she was pregnanat.. finding a English speaking nurse or doctor is next to impossible... its down right DANGEROUS !!
Well done! Talent and persistence paid off. One more step toward UMC becoming a premier, first-choice facility. Keep it going.
Congratulations UMC! It is an honor to be recognized as one of the best of the best hospitals in the country for pediatric intensive care.
Keep up the great work.
@malik... you are spouting balogna partner.. the English language has many more thann 1000 words and your own comments smell of unqualified propoganda.. the medical termanology for any of the positions requires more than 1000 words.. so you ahve just confirmed they are hiring visa workers that are not qualified and quite frankly as a patient and as a concerned citizen it is more than frightening. I myself have been a patient more than once and it is not pretty. I once had knee surgery in which they had listed the wrong knee on the paper work. When I pointed out to the nurse she did not even understand what I was saying. So when you get your leg cutt off and it was supposed to just be a simple process and are now legless becuase of their incompitence you wont be so rosy about these bought and paid for reports.
Congratulations UMC.
Now to Third World American: Your comments are deplorable. These nurses, doctors are very hardworking, and they are qualified through very tough English language examination both in their countries and in USA. Try taking one of those exam. There has been a study report published sometime that most of the high school students English language vocabulary does not consist of words more than 1000 words. That speaks enough our English schools. I don't know you went to UMC to take their English proficiency test, or just get the medical attention? The consumer report which highlighted UMC, is a highly sought after consolation for this hospital who had done and is doing an excellent job, in the face of very challenging economic pressure. Congratulations UMC for doing consistently a good job and please do not take any offense from any these cynics. Ideally, they should only be in Arizona, Yuma county.
I dont see how, most of the staff can not even speak English. I was in the ER one day working with some friends on a school story and found that of the 5 doctors present only one was schooled in the USA and the others could barely be understood.. these are the doctors folks.. never mind the nurses buying their degree overseas and coming here that do not know what ambulatory means or words like distal etc.. seriously most of the nurses do not understand these words when you say them... they are from Africa, India, Philippines, and these are places you can buy a degree for a few hundred dollars.
Very frightening to say the least.
Nice work!
Good Job, UMC!
Does the UMC ICU serve Illegals like it does for FREE Dialysis for ILLEGALS?