Hospital infections still killing thousands each year

It constantly amazes me when I meet people who want to be hospitalized for something minor. So many patients fail to realize how dangerous the hospital can be. Not only are you at risk for developing a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and dying from it (fatal pulmonary embolism or PE), but you're at very high risk for infection. These hospital-acquired or nosocomial infections are some of the worst types of infections out there!

There's a CNN story about hospital infections and here are the highlights:

• Every year, hospital-acquired infections sicken 1.7 million, kill 99,000 in U.S.
  
• They add more than $28 billion to health care costs annually
  
• Small changes -- using a checklist and brushing patients' teeth -- can lower rates
  
• Expert: Attitude is slowly shifting away from accepting infections as inevitable
  

So, do you enjoy being in the hospital or are you the type who tends to leave against medical advice (AMA)? To read the CNN story, click here.