Inquest into St-Hyacinthe superbug deaths gets underway

A coroner's inquest gets underway Monday into what went wrong when 16 peopledied last year during an outbreak of a superbug at a St-Hyacinthe hospital.

The month-long inquiry is not expected to lay blame for the deaths but will investigate whether provincial rules governing hospital hygiene had been properly implemented.

Dozens of hospitals across Quebec have been battling a hypertoxic strain of Clostridium difficile for the past four years and close to 2,000 patients have died.

The St-Hyacinthe deaths at Honoré-Mercier hospital raised particular concern because the superbug had been on the wane around the province before 33 patients there were infected.

There were widespread media reports at the time that staff at Honoré-Mercier had failed to follow some of the most basic infectious control measures to keep the bacteria at bay— things like reusing bedpans without properly sterilizing them between patients.

Hospital staff also discharged patients unaware they were carrying the deadly bug.

C. difficile is very difficult to control once it gets into a hospital setting. The spores are heat resistant and can live on surfaces for days or weeks. Bleaches strong enough to strip paint from walls are needed for wiping down surfaces. Housekeepers need special training to use them.