COMPLICATIONS AT BRYAN W. WHITFIELD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Acute Care Hospital in Demopolis, AL 36732

Complications

BRYAN W. WHITFIELD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
105 Highway 80 East Demopolis, AL 36732
Phone: (334) 289-4000

The complication measures at Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital provide information about the medical problems some inpatients might experience while admitted in the hospital. Admitted patients sometimes get other injuries, conditions or complications that may be life threatening. When hospitals follow best practices for treating patients, serious complications are often prevented.

The complication measures evaluate serious events such as healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and complications after certain surgical procedures.

Surgical Complications

The measures for surgical complications provide information about the problems developed by patients after having certain surgical procedures and how often those patients that were admitted with certain conditions died while they were in the hospital. These surgical complications can often be prevented if hospitals follow procedures based on best practices and scientific evidence.

Measure	Hospital Average	How this Hospital Compares
Complications for hip/knee replacement patients	Not Available Measure: Complications for hip/knee replacement patients Sample data was collected between 04/01/2011 and 03/31/2014	Number of Cases Too Small Percentage of complications for hip/knee replacement patients, some of the complications include: heart attack, infection, pneumonia, serious blood clots, wounds that split open or bleed after surgery, replacement hip/knee joints that don't work, etc. Higher rates of these serious complications might be a sign of lesser quality hospital care. ^[1]
Serious complications	0.70% Measure: Serious complications Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	No different than the National Rate of 0.81% A higher percentage of serious but potentially preventable, complications might be a sign of lesser quality hospital care. Hospitals could reduce the chance of serious complications by following safe care practices
Deaths with Serious Complications after Surgery	Not Available Measure: Deaths with Serious Complications after Surgery Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	Number of Cases Too Small This measure covers surgical patients who died after developing serious complications that could have been treated. Although some deaths may be inevitable, hospitals with trained staff and properly organized identify life threatening complications quickly and treat them aggressively. Higher death rates might be a sign that patients were not watched properly after surgery or that an effective action wasn’t taken. ^[1]
Collapsed lung due to medical treatment	0.37% Measure: Collapsed lung due to medical treatment Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	No different than the National Rate of 0.39% Cases of collapsed lung that results from medical treatment (Iatrogenic pneumothorax, adult).
Serious blood clots after surgery	4.13% Measure: Serious blood clots after surgery Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	No different than the National Rate of 4.35% This measure refers to blood clots, in the lung or a large vein, after surgery (perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate).
Wound that opens after surgery	Not Available Measure: Wound that opens after surgery Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	Number of Cases Too Small This measure refers to a wound that splits open on the abdomen or pelvis after surgery (postoperative wound dehiscence). ^[1]
Accidental cuts from medical treatment	1.39% Measure: Accidental cuts from medical treatment Sample data was collected between 07/01/2012 and 06/30/2014	No different than the National Rate of 1.81% This measure refers to accidental cuts and tears from medical treatment (accidental puncture or laceration).

Healthcare Associated Infections

The healthcare-associated infections (HAI) measures provide information on infections that happen while the patient is in the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects this information and encourages hospitals to use CDC-recommended infection control steps to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

Measure	Hospital Average	How this Hospital Compares
Intestinal infections	1.088 Measure: Intestinal infections Sample data was collected between 04/01/2014 and 03/31/2015	No Different than National Benchmark of 1 Clostridium difficile (C.diff.) Laboratory-identified Events (Intestinal infections) This measure compares the number of positive cases for Clostridium difficile on stool specimens tested four or more days after the patient entered the hospital to a national benchmark. Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) is a bacteria that causes inflammation of the colon and can cause severe diarrhea, fever, appetite loss, nausea, and abdominal pain. C. diff. can be prevented from being transmitted to patients by taking certain precautions: washing hands, using protective gloves and gowns, sterilizing equipment, covering the mouth, nose, and eyes and practicing responsible use of antibiotics. A lower number is better better. A score of zero is best.

Footnotes:

[1] The number of cases/patients is too few to report.