Killer bacteria among newborns in Verona: the medical director of Borgo Trento hospital, the head of Pediatrics and a suspended doctor

The first disciplinary measures arrive for the health personnel of the Borgo Trento hospital in Verona, where it has spread Citrobacter infection it cost him his life four babies and on which the Judicial Power has opened an investigation. In a press release from the hospital, we read that “following the results of the report of the Regional Inspection Commission“, As of Saturday September 5, 2020 “They are suspended as a precaution in accordance with the precautionary conditions three doctors“It’s about the doctor Chiara bovo, hospital medical director, facility medical director Giovanna ghirlanda and the head of Pediatrics Paolo Biban.

The provision comes after the conclusion of the work of the commission established by Veneto Region to clarify the matter. A very severe file that attributes precise responsibilities those who managed the departments of Pediatric intensive care me Neonatal intensive care hospital, which were closed in June along with the birthplace of Obstetrics, the most important in Veneto. In the report we read that “we are faced with a contamination an environmental onset that led to a spread of the pathogen, with the appearance of invasive infections, with an initial underestimate and with him late recognition of the problem by the doctors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, with the consequent low participation of the Hospital Infections Committee at least until the 1st quarter of 2020 ”. the bacteria killer was nested in taps and the hygiene rules demands in healthcare settings. So far they have been identified 91 positive subjects for Citrobacter koseri (88 positive for the direct search of the microbial agent, 2 positive cases in molecular investigations and 1 positive for both investigations). Nine of them have developed one invasive pathology caused by Citrobacter koseri classifiable as safe or highly probable, while four babies would be dead.

Meanwhile, the investigation by the judiciary continues. The hypothesis of the crime is that of “multiple homicide“But at the moment there is no suspect. “We acquired the report of the Inspection Commission of the Veneto Region, with which we have always been in contact,” declared the prosecutor in the last hours. Angela Barbaglio. “The conclusions will be compared with the material collected so far by Nas carabinieri, who have already obtained the children’s medical records. Our task is to understand if there are criminal responsibility for what happened. “The intervention of the prosecutors was requested in recent days by the Venetian governor Luca zaia, who also asked the hospital management to proceed with disciplinary measures. The inspectors sent by the Ministry of Health are also scheduled in Verona these days.