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Editor's note: In this issue we begin a two-part series on the national epidemic of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) with an overview of the current situation and a specific focus on challenges to hand hygiene. Look for the June 2010 issue of Hospital Infection Control & Prevention for the latest findings and recommendations on C. diff testing, discontinuing isolation and the difficult issue of environmental cleaning.
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In its spore form, C. diff is perfectly adapted for dispersal on hands and surfaces, where it can survive for prolonged periods in patient rooms and on medical equipment unless physically removed or killed by powerful solutions like bleach.
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In April 1988, a young woman working in the transfusion department of the Clinical Center Hospital at the National Institutes of Health spun down a blood sample and was reaching to recap the top of the test tube.
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Core and supplement infection control strategies for Clostridium difficile discussed recently in Atlanta at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections included the following:
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The staggering burden of health care associated infections (HAIs) in lives and dollars is "unacceptable," but changing the status quo is difficult because the health care system is woefully skewed toward treatment rather than prevention, Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said recently in Atlanta at the opening of the Fifth Decennial International Conference on HAIs.
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FDA is reviewing safety of TZDs; SSRI use with tamoxifen; Metformin smells like fish; FDA Actions.
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The role of statins in treatment of dyslipidemia is well established. There are, however, limitations of statins: Residual risk is substantial, not all persons can tolerate statins, and, even with full-dose statin treatment, some patients do not achieve lipid goals.