New WHO recommendations on preventing SSIs
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) on November 3 released the “Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection,” which includes a list of 29 recommendations (13 preoperative and 16 intra- and postoperative). Included in the recommendations are: ensuring patients take a preoperative bath or shower no shaving…
Study identifies high touch areas in the OR
Editor's Note This study from the University of Colorado Hospital, Centennial, found that the five primary high touch surfaces in the OR (in order) are: anesthesia computer mouse OR bed nurse computer mouse OR door anesthesia cart. The study also demonstrated that low touch areas were less contaminated than high…
HHS announces new targets for reducing HAIs
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in October announced new targets for reducing healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in acute care hospitals. The new targets are part of the agency’s "National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination." The targets use data…
Study tracks bacteria from patients to nurse’s scrubs and patients to rooms
Editor's Note A study by Duke University researchers, which followed 40 ICU nurses, found 22 cases in which at least one of five drug-resistant bacteria was transmitted from the patient or the room to the nurse’s scrubs or from the patient to the room. The study was presented October 27 at…
Experimental nanofiber coating prevents prosthetic joint infections
Editor's Note In a study on mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that a coating made with antibiotic-releasing nanofibers can prevent bacterial infections after total joint surgery. After 14 days, mice that received implants without the antibiotic coating all had bacteria in infected tissue around the joint, and 80% had…
Effect of hair removal on SSI rates
Editor's Note In this study, surgical site infection (SSI) rates were similar for general surgery patients whether hair was clipped or not. Of 1,543 patients included in the study, 768 were in the clipped group and 775 were in the not-clipped group. The overall rate of SSIs was 6.12% in…
Diagnosing SSIs with photography
Editor's Note The addition of patient-generated wound photographs to existing data significantly improved diagnostic accuracy of surgical site infections (SSIs) and prevented overtreatment in this study. When photographs were added, overall diagnostic accuracy improved from 67% to 76%, and specificity increased from 77% to 92%, but sensitivity did not significantly…
Dirty scopes persist despite cleaning protocol compliance
Recent outbreaks of deadly infections linked to flexible endoscopes have made headlines, and the Food and Drug Administration has issued strict guidelines for reprocessing these devices. However, cleaning and disinfection may not be effective under the recommended protocols, says Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, epidemiologist and president and chief executive officer,…
Action steps for safe use of reprocessed single-use medical devices
In the United States and globally, the use of reprocessed medical devices labeled and marketed by their original equipment manufacturers as “for single use only” has become commonplace. Large health systems have saved many millions of dollars annually and diverted many hundreds of tons of medical waste by using reprocessed…
Joint Commission seeking input on HAI revisions
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 12 that it is seeking input on proposed revisions to its National Patient Safety Goals on healthcare associated infections (HAIs) for ambulatory care and office-based surgery and hospitals and critical access hospitals. The proposed revisions address surgical site infections and central line-associated blood…
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