Bed bugs in a hospital or doctor’s office

How does an infestation occur in a hospital?

Hos­pi­tals and cli­nics see con­stant traf­fic from all over the world: a sin­gle pati­ent with insect-infes­ted lug­ga­ge or clot­hing can trig­ger an infe­sta­ti­on. Room chan­ges of pati­ents, second-hand fur­ni­tu­re in loun­ges, or trans­mis­si­on by staff are also con­ceiva­ble rou­tes. Sin­ce hos­pi­tals are hea­vi­ly fre­quen­ted dai­ly, bed bugs can always find new hosts here in the form of pati­ents or staff.

How to recognize bed bugs in medical facilities?

In cli­nics, bed bugs are dif­fi­cult to detect due to con­stant hygie­ne mea­su­res – but typi­cal traces help trai­ned staff with ear­ly detec­tion:

Com­plaints

Seve­ral pati­ents with unex­plai­ned itching or skin reac­tions.

Traces

Fecal spots, blood sta­ins, or mol­ted skins on bed­ding or clot­hing.

Odor

A sweetish-mus­ty odor is cle­ar­ly noti­ceable in the case of a seve­re infe­sta­ti­on.

Hiding places

Often hid­den in mat­tress seams, bedside tables, or under sea­ting fur­ni­tu­re.

Notes

Reports from pati­ents or rela­ti­ves should be taken serious­ly.

Vigi­lan­ce and staff trai­ning are cru­cial for ear­ly detec­tion of bed bugs.

What are the consequences of an infestation for clinic operations and patients?

In hos­pi­tals, the con­se­quen­ces of an infe­sta­ti­on are par­ti­cu­lar­ly serious – for pati­ents and ope­ra­ti­ons ali­ke.

Health

Skin reac­tions, inflamm­a­ti­on, or, in extre­me cases, all­er­gic shock. Other­wi­se, tho­se affec­ted expe­ri­ence a gene­ral fee­ling of ill­ness, pos­si­bly with fever, nau­sea, and insom­nia. In the case of a seve­re infe­sta­ti­on over a lon­ger peri­od of time, anemia may even occur in indi­vi­du­al cases.

Vul­nerable Peo­p­le

Weak or bedrid­den pati­ents are par­ti­cu­lar­ly at risk. In addi­ti­on, bed bugs crea­te high psy­cho­lo­gi­cal stress, which can impair the heal­ing pro­cess in pati­ents who are alre­a­dy ill.

Repu­ta­ti­on

Para­si­tes in the hos­pi­tal have a deter­rent effect – trust suf­fers.

A quick and dis­creet approach pro­tects the health of pati­ents and staff, the image, and important ope­ra­ting pro­ce­du­res.

Thermo-bug® as a solution for hospitals

Ther­mo-bug® is per­fect­ly sui­ted to quick­ly ensu­re safe­ty in sen­si­ti­ve cli­nic are­as: The heat tre­at­ment does not requi­re any toxic che­mi­cals that could inter­fe­re with medi­ca­ti­ons or medi­cal devices. Our devices ope­ra­te quiet­ly and lea­ve no odor – so pati­ent rooms can be reoc­cu­p­ied quick­ly after tre­at­ment.

The 100% kill rate through more than 60°C heat eli­mi­na­tes all bed bugs and eggs, even in hard-to-reach cor­ners. Unli­ke fum­i­ga­ti­on or spray­ing, no harmful che­mi­cals are used. Over­all, Ther­mo-bug® heat tre­at­ment is a tho­rough, child- and pati­ent-safe alter­na­ti­ve – ide­al for cli­nics, phar­maci­es, and other medi­cal faci­li­ties.