A patient’s death in a Queensland hospital is under investigation amid fears they were given a saline product contaminated with a dangerous bacteria.
The elderly patient died in the Buderim Private Hospital on the Sunshine Coast last week.
Health authorities have issued notices for hospital and clinical staff country-wide to stop using two InterPharma saline products.
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There are fears the products are contaminated with Ralstonia pickettii bacteria. Ralstonia is normally found in soil and water.
There are 44 suspected cases across the country.
The infections were first recorded in NSW, Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said on Tuesday.
She said scientists in the ACT had identified products from India and Greece as a possible source of contamination.
“This is a national issue first identified in NSW and involves products imported from overseas,” Fentiman said in parliament on Tuesday.
Any link between the death of the patient in Queensland and the saline products is being investigated.
Queensland Health has not provided details around the patient’s death but confirmed there has been a “national outbreak” of Ralstonia infections.
“We are investigating all recent Ralstonia infections in Queensland to determine if any are linked to the national outbreak,” a department spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“To date, no cases in this cluster have been linked to Queensland Health facilities.
“We are participating in outbreak investigation meetings being led by NSW Health.
“On Friday, we issued a patient safety alert advising all public and private hospitals of the Ralstonia outbreak and requesting that they immediately quarantine two specific sodium chloride products, as per instructions by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
“We are working with public hospitals to ensure they have sufficient supplies of alternative products.”
The federal health department has been contacted for comment.
Fentiman expressed her condolences to the family of the elderly patient in Queensland who died after the bacteria was found in their blood at Buderim Private Hospital.
There are five probable cases at another Queensland private hospital, she said.
Fentiman said she was unaware of any Ralstonia contaminations at Queensland public hospitals.
The identified saline products were in use across seven Queensland Health services and have subsequently been removed, the minister said.
Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard is set to hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.