He had to be re-admitted: Rep. John Murtha's hospital acquired infection

U.S. Representative John Murtha, Chairman of the House military appropriations committee, is recuperating in the intensive care unit after a surgical infection from his gallbladder surgery. He'd had laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder in late January, and had to be re-admitted to a hospital because of the infection.

He was in grave condition following the hospital infection. Now the infection is responding to antibiotics, and the condition of the 77-year-old congressman has been improving.

Nurses should provide antibiotics before surgery (prophylactic antibiotics) to prevent surgical infections, but don't always do so. A surgical checklist should remind nurses and doctors about the antibiotics, but checklists are not always used.

Advice to patient advocates of patients undergoing surgery: Ask the surgeon beforehand if he or she uses a checklist. If you don't hear Yes, choose another surgeon. If they don't use a checklist, or if they bristle at the question, that might indicate arrogance that can intimidate their clinical teammates into silence when a surgical error is about to occur.

Read other surgical infection stories. Thanks to Carol D. Leonnig and Paul Kane for their background article in the Washington Post of Feb. 3.