US hospital infections prolong stays by 19 days: US patients with infections acquired through health care spent 19 days longer in hospital than patients without such infections, and the cost of their care was nearly $43 000 (£28 000; €33 000) higher, show 2007 data from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Infections were more common in hospitals with more than 500 beds, those in metropolitan areas, and private, for-profit, or teaching hospitals. A 2002 study estimated 1.7 million …