East Hartford, CT (WTNH)- Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are asking hospitals to step-up and engage in new practices to improve patient safety. The lawmakers say that connecticut is leading the nation in hospital acquired infections. Senator Chris Murphy said, “we’ve got some of the best hospitals in the nation and so that’s why a little bewildering we have gotten results that suggest we have higher rates in hospital errors than other parts of the country.”

State hospitals are reporting 534 serious Mistakes Lead to Injuries and Deaths in 2013 that’s compared to compared to 244 the previous year. The new statistics come from the department of public health and the centers for disease control and prevention. There was also a spike in the number of foreign object left inside the body after surgery.

Senator Murphy added, “the fact that there are over 50 cases last year where a foreign object was left in a patient after surgery is unacceptable and we’ve got to do better.” Those in the medical field say it’s important for them to understand why these medical errors are happening

Quinnipiac University medical student, Dipesh Patel said, “as a medical student it is really important to learn that not only to take what you are learning but applying it to the real world and seeing what kind of things you need to keep in mid of when you are practicing as a doctor” Blumenthal said changes need to be made, “they are preventable. That’s why check lists with procedures, training, changes in culture are the way that connecticut can help to solve this problem.”