Figures published today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that King’s College Hospital has seen a major reduction in the number of cases of Clostridium difficile reported at the Trust.
During the most recent quarter for which figures are available (July to September 2008), there were 35 cases of Clostridium difficile recorded at King’s. This [...]

Cases of MRSA bacteraemia continue to fall at Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals.
Figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that the number of cases of MRSA bacteraemia at the Trust fell to seven between July and September 2008. This compares to a total of 10 cases for the previous quarter (April – [...]

Bismuth compounds have been used for centuries in medicine. The discovery of H. pylori in 1983 led to renewed interest in bismuth compounds, because these were found to successfully treat the infection in combination with antibiotics. However, in the 1970s bismuth salts, used at high doses for prolonged periods, were found to lead to neurotoxicity. [...]

Use of mobile phone text-messaging (or short message service/SMS as it is also known) could help tuberculosis patients in the world’s most remote locations adhere to their treatment. The promising early results of this strategy are discussed in the World Report in this week’s edition of The Lancet, written by freelance journalist Eliza Barclay.

Plastic surgeons at Leicester’s hospitals have issued a stark warning against cheap overseas plastic surgery. Surgeons at the Leicester Royal Infirmary have seen a rise in the number of cases of botched surgery from overseas which has gone wrong and required treatment or even emergency or reconstructive surgery on the NHS.