Hospital stays for a type of antibiotic-resistant infection called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus more than tripled from 2000-2005 to 368,600, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The report presents Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data on the trend in MRSA infections from 1993-2005, and details on MRSA hospitalizations for 2004.
“Although it is not possible to determine whether these infections originated in the hospital or were community acquired, this information can provide insight into the growth in MRSA infections and what types of patients were affected,” the authors said. The elderly and infants are most susceptible and likely to be hospitalized for MRSA, the report notes.
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