Your Skin: Source of Protection and Source of Infection

Skin — it surrounds us, but how much do you know about it and the impact it has on your health?

As the largest organ in the human body, skin consists of three major layers — epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (also called the subcutaneous tissue). While skin serves as the primary protective layer on our bodies, it also carries thousands of naturally-occurring, typically harmless, bacteria.

However, if the skin is not properly cleaned before surgery or a medical procedure that punctures the skin, bacteria can enter the bloodstream leading to an infection.

One in 17 patients will experience these infections1, known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and 271 people a day will die as a result.1

HAIs are one of the top ten leading causes of death in the U.S.2, killing more than 99,000 people a year1 (more yearly deaths than AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined2).

Two of the most common HAIs are bloodstream infections (BSIs) and surgical site infections (SSIs). Nearly half of all HAIs are attributable to bloodstream infections (BSIs) and SSIs. Microorganisms from the patient’s skin are the number one pathogen that causes these infections.3

These infections not only have a personal impact on patients and their families, they also add to the nation’s rising healthcare costs. HAIs in the U.S. were estimated to cost $4.5 billion in 1995.4 A more recent estimate puts HAI economic impact at more than $17 billion a year.5

Don’t let an infection impact you or your family. Learn how to reduce your risk of acquiring these deadly infections.


REFERENCES

1 www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/hai.html Accessed October 10 2007
2 www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/healthDis.html Accessed October 16 2007
     a. www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm#ddaids Accessed October 16 2007
     b. www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2005BrF.pdf Accessed October 16 2007
     c. www.car-accidents.com/pages/fatal-accident-statistics.html Accessed October 16 2007
3 Mangram AJ, Moran TC, Pearson ML, Silver LC, Jarvis WR and The Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 1999; Infect Control Hosp Epidemiology. 20:250-278.
4 Weinstein RA. Nosocomial infection update. Emerg Infect Dis. 4 1998:416-420.
5 Bhutta A, Gilliam C, Honeycutt M, et al. Reduction of bloodstream infections associated with catheters in paediatric intensive care unit: stepwise approach. BMJ. 334 2007:362-365.