“Super Bugs” like MRSA, a penicillin resistant bacterium, have grown to epidemic levels within our health care system and now threatens the general population.  Despite our best efforts, the hospital incidence of MRSA has risen from 22% in 1995 to 63% in 2004. 

The international prevalence has also risen with emerging countries such as China (50%) as well as established ones like England (40%) equally affected.

Overuse of antibiotics, antibacterial soaps, and natural mutations within the bacterium account for this increase but our hospitals and clinics are also at fault.  Recent studies show that invasive MRSA is linked to patient contact with the healthcare system 85% of the time and that over half of these infections may have occurred in setting outside of the hospital. 
This suggests that patients visiting their physician’s office or participating in outpatient treatment programs like physical therapy may be at higher than expected risk.  Once an individual is colonized with MRSA, they will carry it with them for life while silently spreading it to their families and the community.
      
The death rate, length of stay, and cost to treat a patient with MRSA is double that of other hospital admissions with the total number of fatalities it caused in 2005 greater than those caused by AIDS.  We spend over 4 billion healthcare dollars a year treating nosocomial infection like MRSA and yet this epidemic continues to grow.  Clearly, new tools are needed if we plan to win this fight.
     
Beyond the Light Bulb, Inc. has developed a simple device and method for its use that will significantly reduce the risk of transmission of MRSA during patient and physician interactions.  The device is designed for use in the hospital as well as office setting and has the potential to become a standard of care.  The cost to manufacture it is low, its use intuitive, and we have a patent pending with the USPTO.
  
We estimated that the untapped market niche it addresses to have a net profit margin of 70 million dollars annually in the United States and 3 times that in the global marketplace.  We estimate the number of lives improved at 500,000.

To learn more about MRSA and nosocomial infections please visit these sites:

CDC report on MRSA: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_MRSA_spotlight_2006.html

CDC report on MRSA hospital deaths:  http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/13/12/1840.htm

JAMA study on MRSA in the United States: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/InvasiveMRSA_JAMA2007.pdf

PBS Special – choose program 2:  http://www.ramcampaign.org/default.htm

APIC: Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology:  http://www.apic.org
 
1.7 million health care associated infections and deaths in 2002:
  http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/GovernmentAdvocacy/IssuesInitiatives/MandatoryReporting
/mr_resources/07_PHR122-2_160-166.pdf
   
The true national prevalence of MRSA:
  http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Education/Conferences/2007MRSAConference/APIC-MRSA
-Conf-11-5-07-Jarvis-Final.pdf
   
Healthcare cost per MRSA infection:
  http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Education/Conferences/2007MRSAConference/SarahCosgrove
MDRO_Outcomes.pdf
   
Potential screening laws:
  http://www.apic.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&section=Position_Statements1&template=/CM/
ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentFileID=7261
   
   
Copyright © 2008, BEYOND THE LIGHT BULB INC. All Rights Reserved