Hospital Outbreak Detection System Effectively Prevents Infections and Saves Lives

A groundbreaking infectious disease detection platform developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and deployed within UPMC hospitals demonstrated significant impact over a two-year period. The system, known as the Enhanced Detection System for Healthcare-Associated Transmission (EDS-HAT), effectively identified and prevented multiple hospital-based outbreaks, leading to the saving of lives and reducing healthcare costs.

This innovative platform leverages the decreasing costs and increasing accessibility of genomic sequencing technology to analyze infectious disease samples from hospitalized patients. When the system detects two or more patients with virtually identical strains of an infection, it alerts infection prevention teams to investigate potential transmission pathways. This early warning capability allows hospitals to promptly implement targeted interventions and interrupt the spread of infections.

The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, highlights that EDS-HAT prevented 62 infections and five fatalities during the trial conducted at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital from November 2021 to October 2023. Additionally, it resulted in an estimated cost savings of nearly $700,000 by avoiding treatment expenses for prevented infections. The system's ability to distinguish between coincidental or unrelated infections through genomic analysis reduces unnecessary resource expenditure on false alarms.

Dr. Alexander Sundermann, the lead author, emphasizes that the system’s scalability could benefit hospitals nationwide. Implementing EDS-HAT could lead to the development of a national outbreak detection network similar to PulseNet, which tracks foodborne illnesses across states. Such a network could facilitate rapid responses to dangerous outbreaks, exemplified by the 2023 outbreak linked to contaminated eye drops that could have been curtailed sooner with genomic surveillance.

Experts suggest that adopting this genomic surveillance approach as a standard practice in healthcare settings could revolutionize outbreak detection and prevention. Dr. Lee Harrison, a senior author, underlines the importance of integrating advanced molecular technologies into hospital infection control practices, ultimately improving patient safety and public health.

This research underscores the transformative potential of genomic data in managing healthcare-associated infections and highlights the benefits of collaboration between academic and healthcare institutions to develop innovative solutions for better patient outcomes.