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Fewer Than Expected Hospital Infections In New Hampshire

File Photo, NHPR

 

State officials say patients in New Hampshire hospitals acquired fewer infections than predicted compared to national data last year.

New Hampshire's 35 hospitals have been required since 2009 to provide data on patients who develop infections after heart, colon and knee surgeries or through central lines — catheters inserted in blood vessels near the heart or another major vessel.

The latest report, released Monday, covers 2014 and shows a total of 219 infections. That's 36 more than in 2013, but the increase is not statistically significant.

The Department of Health and Human Services says the overall observed number of hospital infections was 15 percent lower than predicted, based on national data. The rate at which hospitals followed four infection prevention practices during central line procedures was 98 percent.

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