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Health complications don’t end with disease diagnosis. Sometimes, it’s the surgeries and the operations that result in complications as well. The medical practitioners are actively involved in searching for a solution for this. One such complexity is a “superbug” infection that you must have heard follows the patient after he/she has undergone an endoscopic process, named ERCP.
Do you know what this superbug is all about?
The concerned bacterium is named CRE, which stands for carbipenem resistant enterobacteriaceae. And this bacterium is resistant towards the majority of standard antibiotics. Hence, this leads to severe infections.
Understanding the ERCP process
Simply put, ERCP means Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. It is a highly technical and advanced endoscopic process. The medical method uses a device termed as duodenoscope that gets used for diagnosing and also treating medical concerns arising in bile ducts and pancreas. ERCP is an important process and is often considered a life-saving method by doctors. Furthermore, the duodenoscope completely varies from the endoscopes that get used for the regular colonoscopy and upper endoscopy.
If you want to learn more about the subject, you can check out informative articles on medtruth on endoscopy. And this article from medtruth will help you expand your know-how on the topic.
ERCP and CRE infection
ERCP does not take place as frequently as upper endoscopy or colonoscopy. According to the recent statistics, approximately 500,000 ERCP’s are conducted annually in the United States. And there have been instances of 100 CRE in about every 5,000 ERCP processes.
How does CRE pervade after the ERCP processes?
The medical practitioners are still trying to delve deep into this matter. But the mechanical difficulties of an ERCP scope makes it tough to disinfect. There might be a possibility of a few bacteria not being eradicated at the time of the scope cleaning procedure. But when medical experts adhere to the cleaning guidelines, the chances of infection and its risks reduces significantly.
What are the CRE infection symptoms?
A few of the CRE symptoms that you need to stay aware of include the following:
- Feel unwell generally
- Fever
- A rapid pulse rate
- Swelling, pain or redness in specific parts of the body
- Increase in heat at a particular body part
However, that not all. There are instances where CRE has the chance to make it into the bloodstream. It can take place from a present infection, for example, a urinary tract infection or abscesses. It can also be caused by a urinary catheter or an intravenous catheter as well. The symptoms associated with bloodstream infection are not that specific to CRE. However, it might be the same for any other bacteria. Usually, the signs comprise of low blood pressure, shivering, and fever.
Want to know how to stop CRE from spreading? Early detection of the same in people is mostly the first step. And it is essential to start treatment for the same. Usually, it is a few antibiotics suggested by the concerned doctor. And since, CRE is resistant to a few powerful antibiotics; doctors need to take extra care while suggesting the same. However, today medical practitioners are trying to come up with possible cures for the same in the forthcoming days.
