Page 1 of Catheters causing Septicaemia in patients

I realise that this is in all probability the wrong forum for answers relating to Septicaemia but I need a bit of help from some more enlightened individuals .
Basically what I would like to find out is a web address where statistics relating to deaths as a result of septicaemia contracted in hospitals may be found. I ask out of my own curiosity and not for some crusade or claim against the NHS.
This might be worded wrong but you may get the gist of it.
Last year my wife and I watched her father die an agonising death as a result of septicaemia / organ failure which we believe may have been caused by the inappropriate and prolonged use of a catheter (SP).
My wifes father had Parkinson`s disease for 15 years and had undergone the first of two operations that would hopefully reduce the tremors and paralysis etc. The first operation was to prepare his skull / brain for Deep brain stimulus but shortly after the first operation he developed septicaemia. This cleared up and he was transferred to our local hospital to recover prior to the second part of the procedure. While in the local hospital he had difficulty getting to the toilet in time and as a result of either the staff not being able to help him or them being busy elsewhere he ended up wetting himself. This resulted in the nursing staff electing to put a catheter on him which would prevent him wetting himself and also remove any shame or embarassment he may have mistakenly felt had he wet himself. Unfortunately the prolonged use of the catheter left him more exposed to possible urinary infection and ultimately septicaemia. This in my mind, not my wifes , led directly to his untimely and extremely painful death due to his internal organs collapsing.
As I posted I am not on some misguided crusade hoping to villify the NHS staff but simply hoping to find some answers so any help would be much appreciated.
Had to try and get this monkey off my back once and for all as it has been gnawing at me for quite a while now.
Any help would be much appreciated :-)

If the type of catheter used was a urithral catheter, one that went up through the penis, then i very much doubt that it cause his septicaemia.

On the other hand, if the catheter type was a supra pubic catheter, one that requires a hole to be cut in the patients abdomen just above the pubic bone, then it`s quite posible that it could have caused his septicaemia. But only i very rare occasions where a UTI(urinary tract infection) has been left to fester in the site and heavily infected the wound.

Hope that helps.

By the way, you could check out www.webmd.com for more, hopefully relivent, information.

Thanks for the reply Hominid.
The catheter, we think, was the type that required a small incision in my father in laws abdomen. Only reason we think it was that type is that no urine went to his bladder at all as it was diverted from his kidney ? directly to the bag at his ankle.
I think the fact that the infections he developed required many different types of anti-biotics might have hindered his recovery.
Once again thanks for the info and the web address.

Be careful with medical information from the internet, it may not be validated by anyone.

First thing, have you complained? If not, ring the trust in question and ask for the complaints and risk management departments. That should be your first step - the chief executive will respond and a senior manager (probably a nurse) will investigate the complaint.

I`m not talking about a screaming red-in-the-face complaint, its just the procedure. It will get things on paper too.

I work in the NHS.

TBH GB another reason I asked is that since my father in law passed away I have been struggling to actually come to terms with it. Not the fact he has passed but the sheer futility and seemingly easily avoidable infections that directly ? led to his death.
My good lady thinks I would be better off just forgetting it but I have found that extremely hard to do so, god knows how my good lady has managed it.
Thanks for the warning about web based medical advice.
Cheers, Choagy:-)

There`s plenty of advice available for coping with bereavement too mate - ask at your GP`s. Its not an easy thing to deal with and takes a big man to admit it.

You might find some closure by following a complaint. Even if they turn around and say it was unavoidable.

My Nana died of Cirrhosis of the liver - she`d never drank a drop in her life and the doctors let her waste away in hospital. WTF was that all about? We never complained, we should have.

Cheers GB
I may have a wee word with my G.P. the next time I see her.
Thanks mate
Choagy :-)

When you are in hospital with any condition that weakens you infections can occur. Last August/September I had to have a Stem cell transplant (bone marrow transplant) where they totally killed my resistance to infection and my bone marrow, I was in isolation but still managed to get MRSA in my Hickman line (a catheter in my chest to feed introvenous drugs directly into an artery near my heart) this was removed and I was treated with vancomycin a very powerful antibiotic, at the same time I suffered a multipal organ failure and there were a lot of Doctors around for a couple of days trying to sort me out before I was stabalised again (sort of!).
One discussion that I remember is that it would be too risky to put me in intensive care unless my condition got worse (can`t see how it could?), one reason given was that I would have to be fitted with a bladder catheter which could have introduced more risk another was something to do with not being in isolation. I`m 47 years old and healthy apart from the lymphoma and only just survived it by the skin of my gums (they took all my teeth out before the transplant in case I got an infection)

Steve..

I have been struggling to actually come to terms with it. Not the fact he has passed but the sheer futility and seemingly easily avoidable infections that directly ? led to his death.

But are they avoidable? it`s just sod law if it can happen it will.

With the best will in the world when you are looking after that many people things are going to happen, no matter how much money or precautions are taken.

The world is full of if only`s....let go except it your wife as.

Bear.