Preventing and treating infectious disease at Main Line Health
The infectious disease physicians at Main Line Health specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a variety of illnesses in adult patients. Our physicians treat infections in any organ system. Located at hospitals and health facilities throughout the Philadelphia region, Main Line Health infectious disease specialists diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions from the more common ones such as the flu, to those that are very serious and life-threatening. Some of the infections we treat at include:
- Pulmonary infections such as:
- Pneumonia
- Influenza
- Tuberculosis
- Legionnaires’ disease
- Other occurrences of lung infections
- Sepsis caused by bacteria
- Central nervous system infections such as:
- Meningitis
- Brain abscess
- Encephalitis
- Infections caused by insects and animal such as:
- Lyme disease
- Babesiosis
- Malaria
- HIV/AIDS infections
- Infections in immunocompromised patients
- Infections caused by resistant bacteria and other resistant pathogens
- Heart valve infections
Why choose Main Line Health for infectious disease care?
Services for international travelers
Special travel advisory information and up-to-date immunizations for travelers to various parts of the world are available on multiple campuses. These services are offered at all of the four acute care Main Line Health facilities in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Specialized techniques for preventing hospital-associated infections
In recent years, health care has been challenged by antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be passed from patient to patient and which do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Some bacteria have become resistant to many antibiotics, and these multi-resistant organisms are important to identify, prevent and manage in a hospital setting. Main Line Health has implemented careful infection control procedures to prevent hospital-associated infections. There is a robust program on each campus which includes infectious disease physicians, infection preventionists, nursing staff and ancillary personnel.
Manage and prevent infections in immunocompromised patients
People whose immune system is weakened because of an illness such as HIV/AIDS, transplant patients taking certain immunosuppressive drugs, cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy and those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, may be a greater risk for certain infections that would not otherwise affect them. Main Line Health infectious disease specialists have specific techniques for preventing and protecting our immunocompromised patients, so that risk for infection is minimized. Our goal is to maintain the highest quality and safety for our patients during their hospital stay.
Comprehensive preparation for outbreaks of infectious diseases
The Infectious Disease Department, along with the Infection Prevention Program, has maintained the highest standards regarding the prevention of transmission of various infections to our patients and employees that may originate within the U.S. or abroad. Such examples include the comprehensive plan for caring for an Ebola patient while preventing transmission to health care workers. The prevention of other infections such as influenza has been facilitated by a mandatory Main Line Health System vaccination program in which all health care workers are required to maintain an updated influenza vaccination.
Examples of other unusual infections that may be transmitted to patients and health care workers include:
- Avian influenza
- Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)
- Measles
