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Intravascular, device-related bloodstream infection (IDR-BSI) are a major source of morbidity and mortality. An estimated 250,000 infections occur annually in the United States, with an attributable mortality of 12-25%.
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Staphylococcus epidermidis continues to be a troublesome pathogen, mainly due to its ability to form biofilms that protect this species and allow it to express unique features that guarantee its survival. The main molecules involved in biofilm formation are under intense study.
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Mykietiuk and colleagues report that 139 (7.2%) of 1934 prospectively evaluated adults without severe immunocompromise admitted over an approximately 8-year period to a university hospital in Barcelona because of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) had evidence of Legionella infection.
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The wider availability of PCR tests to rapidly detect MERS coronavirus is enabling hospitals in Saudi Arabia to better identify cases and prevent transmission to patients and health care workers, infection preventionists from the Kingdom tell Hospital Infection Control & Prevention.
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About one in six U.S. dialysis patients die annually from an infection and 12% of dialysis patients are hospitalized due to septicemia, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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The ancient ritual of the handshake evolved in human dynamics in part as a way to instill trust by extending the weaponless hand. Ironically, this act of goodwill could put a frail patients life at risk if pathogens on the hands are exchanged as well as greetings.
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As the front door of the hospital to both patients and pathogens, the emergency department (ED) is a critical setting for infection prevention that has a unique and often poorly understood work culture.
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We are proud to announce that Hospital Infection Control & Prevention recently won First Place for Best Healthcare Newsletter at the annual awards of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) in Washington, DC.
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Though the health care continuum is currently under siege by a host of emerging gram negatives like CRE, at one time a much-feared single pathogen was thought to herald the arrival of the post-antibiotic era: Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA).
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Increasingly common across the health care landscape, construction and renovation can make patient safety challenging. The need to expand facilities or upgrade existing space creates dust and particles that can easily become aerosolized, potentially transporting infectious Aspergillus and other fungal and bacterial organisms toward vulnerable patient populations.
