Hospital ward closed after C diff death

Published on Thursday 25 June 2009 23:04

ONE patient has died and another five are being treated for infection after an outbreak of the Colostrium difficile virus at a hospital in the Highlands.

NHS Grampian has imposed a ban on new admissions to a medical ward at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) following the C diff outbreak. Five patients in ward 13 are being treated for the infection. In the case of the patient that died, C diff was listed as a contributory cause.

The outbreak at ARI follows an outbreak in April at another NHS Grampian hospital, Dr Gray's in Elgin, in which one elderly patient died as a direct result of contracting the infection. C diff was also listed as a contributory cause in the death of another patient.

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: "Ward 13 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is not currently admitting new patients due to a higher than usual number of cases of Clostridium difficile Five patients on the ward have C difficile. The clinical condition of these five patients is not giving cause for concern and they are being treated together.

"Unfortunately, a sixth patient on ward 13 has died. C difficile was not the primary cause, however it was one of a number of secondary factors.

"An outbreak control team has been set up as part of the infection control response."

The spokeswoman added: "There are 13 patients on this medical ward. Patients and families have been fully briefed by the ward staff."

Alisdair Chisholm, the general manager for acute services at NHS Grampian, said: "We regret any inconvenience caused to patients and their families. Infection control and patient safety is our paramount concern. We are working very hard to control the risk of spread of infection."

C diff is a bacterium that causes diarrhoea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. It is found in around one in 50 healthy adults who carry the bug without showing any symptoms.