Breast milk process at hospital blamed for 3 infant deaths

The infants at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, intensive care unit were tiny, with some born 27 weeks premature.

In July, some started to get ill. One by one, the number of sick babies climbed to eight. Between August and September, bacterial infections claimed the lives of three of them.

At a news conference last month, officials at the hospital, which is about 150 miles northwest of Philadelphia, said they were at a loss about the source of the infections.

But Friday, the hospital announced it had found the root cause: the process it used to prepare donor breast milk.

“Our infection control team has traced the bacteria to the equipment used in measuring donor breast milk, which helps premature infants with their nutritional needs,” Edward Hartle, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Geisinger, said in a statement.

“We would like to extend our sincere apologies to the families who have been affected by this incident,” he said.

The bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, likes moist environments and grows in water but only presents a danger to fragile patients, such as underdeveloped babies who have a compromised immune system.

Of the five surviving infants who got sick, one has been discharged, and the others remain hospitalized.

The hospital, with the help of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, used DNA testing to determine the cause of the infections, Hartle said.