INFECTION DANGER

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1932, Page 7

INFECTION DANGER

ANOTHER DEATH WITH TETANUS

PUBLIC ALARM IN SYDNEY,

SYDNEY, November 24. . Another death has occurred from tetanus (lock-jaw), due, it ig strongly suspected, to infection from surgical catgut used in an operation on the patient teri”"days previously. The victim Mrs Margaret 'Slieldrick, and because two similar tragedies ,hay e already occurred in public hospitals!!/. 111 New South Wales, a great- deal .of alarm has been caused. Prompt actipn has been, taken by the Government to prohibit the use of a certain brand ‘of fpatgut Ahat> was imported from Germany, and the Minister for Health has .instituted a special inquiry. Mrs -Sheldrick went into the Royal South 'Sydney Hospital on November Bth for a minor operation, which was carried out two days later. She wae progressing favourably, and she expected to be discharged from the institution within a fortnight. She became very ill on November and the doctors diagnosed tetanus. They spared nothing in their efforts to save the woman’s life. Thousands of unit? of anti-toxin serum were injected, but all to no purpose. The woman graduallv became worse 'and she died on Tuesday. A doctor from the Board of Health conducted a po«t-mortem examination, and the woman’s death will be the subject of a special inquiry by the Board. There are still large quantities _ of German catgut in -stock nt the various hospitals, and definite instructions have been given that thus should not be used. All hospitals have been instructed ,to purchase English catgut, and this will involve them in additional Expenditure to the extent of about £15,000 a yea/. In the three cas e s 111 which' death has followed operations the same brand of catgut has been us-ed. Fear is now felt for the lives of others, 'and the medical authorities at the various hospitals where German Catgut has been used are anxiously watching their patients. As a precaution they have already administered anti-toxin serum.

It is explained that the tetanus bacillus live- in the .intestinal tract of various animals including sheep, and catgut used in operations is made from the intestines of sheep. 'Catgut is made from carefully sterilised material, but even careful sterilisation someUme? fails to kill the strong resistant tetanus bacillus.