Akhir 25, 1432 / March 30, 2011, SPA -- Nine patients in Alabama have died after receiving intravenous nutrition that authorities say was contaminated, but a direct link between the bacteria and the deaths has not been made yet. Alabama authorities said they were investigating an outbreak of "Serratia marcenscens bacteremia," a bacterial infection in the blood, in 19 patients at six hospitals in the state who all received total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a nutritional solution fed to patients by injection. "Of the 19 that received the substance, nine of those are no longer living," said Doctor Jim McVay, a senior official with the Alabama Department of Public Health. "These were very fragile individuals, and it's not clear whether the bacteria contributed to their deaths." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is helping with an investigation, the department said. "CDC's initial investigation indentified TPN produced by a single pharmacy... as a potential common source and has determined that these hospitals received TPN from this pharmacy," it said in a statement. The pharmacy recalled all of its intravenous products and has discontinued all production. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware of the voluntary recall, and the pharmacy and the hospitals are cooperating with the investigation, the statement said.
