Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit: Probable Transmission via Hands of a Health Care Worker

1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Widmer ◽  
R. P. Wenzel ◽  
A. Trilla ◽  
M. J. Bale ◽  
R. N. Jones ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. e1-e8
Author(s):  
Leigh Chapman ◽  
Lisa Hargett ◽  
Theresa Anderson ◽  
Jacqueline Galluzzo ◽  
Paul Zimand

Background Critical care nurses take care of patients with complicated, comorbid, and compromised conditions. These patients are at risk for health care–associated infections, which affect patients’ lives and health care systems in various ways. Objective To gauge the impact of routinely bathing patients with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate solution on the incidence of health care–associated infections in a medical-surgical intensive care unit and a postoperative telemetry unit; to outline the framework for a hospital-wide presurgical chlorhexidine gluconate bathing program and share the results. Methods A standard bathing protocol using a 4% chlorhexidine gluconate solution was developed. The protocol included time studies, training, monitoring, and surveillance of health care–associated infections. Results Consistent patient bathing with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate was associated with a 52% reduction in health care–associated infections in a medical-surgical intensive care unit. The same program in a postoperative telemetry unit yielded a 45% reduction in health care–associated infections. Conclusion A comprehensive daily 4% chlorhexidine gluconate bathing program can be implemented with standardized protocols and detailed instructions and can significantly reduce the incidence of health care–associated infections in intensive care unit and non–intensive care unit hospital settings.


1984 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 427-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anita Barry ◽  
Donald E. Craven ◽  
Theresa A. Goularte ◽  
Deborah A. Lichtenberg

Abstract During a recent investigation in our surgical intensive care unit, we found that several bottles of the antiseptic handwashing soap, OR Scrub®, were contaminated with Serratia marcescens. OR Scrub® contains 1% triclosan, lanolin, and detergents. The antimicrobial efficacy of OR Scrub® was examined in vitro using serial two-fold dilutions of soap inoculated with various concentrations of different nosocomial pathogens. The minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of OR Scrub® against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and several strains of S. marcescens was ≤1:2 By comparison, a non-antiseptic soap from the same manufacturer (Wash®) and 4% chlorhexidine (Hibiclens®) had MBCs for all strains tested of at least 1:64. Time-kill curves confirmed the findings of the initial experiments.This is the first report of extrinsic contamination of antiseptic soap containing triclosan. No infections could be attributed to the contaminated soap, but sporadic outbreaks of Serratia have occurred in the intensive care unit with no identifiable source. Although there have been few studies on the impact of antiseptic soap in reducing nosocomial infection, we question whether a soap with the limitations of OR Scrub® should be used in intensive care units or operating rooms.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 625.e9-625.e14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme H.C. Furtado ◽  
Maria D. Bergamasco ◽  
Fernando G. Menezes ◽  
Daniel Marques ◽  
Adriana Silva ◽  
...  

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