scholarly journals Damaged Hospital Mattresses and Bed Frames Are Common in Acute-Care Hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. s63-s63
Author(s):  
Edmond Hooker

Background: Hospital beds are now high-tech, reprocessable, medical devices. The surface of the mattress (cover) is manufactured using polyurethane-coated fabric to ensure moisture-vapor transmission to prevent pressure ulcers. In recent years, due to multidrug-resistant organisms, healthcare organizations have used increasingly harsh chemicals to clean these mattresses. None of these chemicals are approved for use on polyurethane-coated fabric. Previous research has shown that many mattresses in hospitals are damaged. The US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ECRI, and manufacturers recommend routine mattress inspection and replacement of mattresses with any visible signs of stains, wear, or damage. Damaged mattresses have been linked to fluid leakage, resulting in patient exposure and outbreaks of healthcare-acquired infections. Methods: Four hospitals of a midwestern hospital system had all of their mattresses inspected for damage and staining to the mattress. After external examination, each mattress was opened, and the mattress core was evaluated for damage. The cover of each mattress was examined using the naked eye and then using an LED light to demonstrate smaller holes. Each bed frame was examined for evidence of rust, and the amount of rust was recorded. If available, the age of the mattress was determined based on a label on the mattress. Results: In total, 727 beds and mattresses were inspected. Of these mattresses, 523 (72%) were damaged. Also, 340 (47%) required replacement of the mattress cover, and 183 (25%) required replacement of the entire mattress (cover and core). For the 209 damaged mattresses (40%) with the date of manufacture label, 156 (75%) were <4 years old. Damage to the mattress included 428 (59%) with holes in the cover: 113 (16%) were visible to the naked eye and 315 (43%) small holes only detected by using an LED light. Also 173 mattresses (24%) had stains on the exterior cover, 215 (30%) had stains on the interior of the top cover, and 192 (26%) had stains on the interior of the bottom cover. Bed-frame rust was identified on 175 (24%) beds, of which 65 (9%) had widespread rust. Conclusions: These findings confirm previous reports that damaged mattresses are common in hospitals and potentially place patients at risk. Most of these failed mattresses are <4 years old, which is much less than the expected life of a mattress and bed deck.Funding: NoDisclosures: None

Author(s):  
Jon Bruss ◽  
Troy Lister ◽  
Vipul K. Gupta ◽  
Emily Stone ◽  
Lisa Morelli ◽  
...  

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Enterobacterales are identified as urgent threats, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing pathogens are identified as a serious threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). SPR206 is a novel polymyxin derivative with potent in vitro and in vivo activity against A. baumannii , P. aeruginosa , and multiple clinically important species of Enterobacterales, including multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant strains. This was a first-in-human (FIH) double-blind, placebo-controlled, single- and multiple ascending dose study of the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of SPR206 in 94 healthy subjects. Following IV administration (1 h infusion) at single doses of 10 mg to 400 mg and multiple doses of 25 mg to 150 mg q8h for 7 days and 100 mg q8h for 14 days, SPR206 was generally safe and generally well tolerated. While the incidence of adverse events increased with dose, most were of mild severity. Systemic exposure (C max and AUC) to SPR206 was approximately dose proportional, time to peak concentrations ranged from 1.1 to 1.3 hours, and half-life ranged from 2.4 to 4.1 hours. No appreciable accumulation occurred with repeated dosing of SPR206 and trough concentrations suggest that steady state was achieved by Day 2. Urinary excretion of unchanged SPR206 was dose dependent across single- (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) cohorts, and the percentage of dose excreted as SPR206 was up to >50%. Importantly, no evidence of nephrotoxicity was observed over 14 days of 100 mg q8h dosing of SPR206; a dosing regimen anticipated to exceed requirements for clinical efficacy.


2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence F. Muscarella

AbstractThe routine sampling of environmental surfaces within a healthcare facility is generally not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), and several other healthcare organizations. There are a few circumstances, however, for which some organizations do recommend this practice. For instance, the CDC and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) recommend environmental sampling as clinically required during an outbreak investigation. The CDC and AAMI also recommend routine sampling of the rinse water used during hemodialyzer (but not endoscope) reprocessing. The rationale for this recommendation is based in part on reports of pyrogenic responses, patient infections, and bacteremia due to waterborne, gram-negative bacteria during hemodialysis. To determine whether the basis for this rationale might similarly apply to the rinse water used during endoscope reprocessing, the Food and Drug Administration's medical device reporting database, the endoscope reprocessing literature, and other sources were reviewed. The results of this review indicate that nosocomial outbreaks linked to endoscopes contaminated with gram-negative bacteria have been frequently reported. As a result, for several reasons, including to minimize the risk of patient infection due to gram-negative bacteria following endoscopy, this article recommends routine microbiologic sampling of the rinse water used during endoscope reprocessing.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Evans ◽  
Marissa P. Griffith ◽  
Mustapha M. Mustapha ◽  
Jane W. Marsh ◽  
Alexander J. Sundermann ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMultidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens pose a serious public health threat, especially in hospital settings. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) contributes to this threat by facilitating the rapid spread of genes conferring antibiotic resistance, enhanced virulence, and environmental persistence between nosocomial pathogens. Despite recent advances in microbial genomics, studies of HGT in hospital settings remain limited in scope. The objective of this study was to identify and track the movement of MGEs within a single hospital system using unbiased methods. We screened the genomes of 2,173 bacterial isolates from healthcare-associated infections collected over an 18-month time period to identify nucleotide regions that were identical in the genomes of bacteria belonging to distinct genera. These putative MGEs were found in 196 isolates belonging to 11 different genera; they grouped into 51 clusters of related elements, and they were most often shared between related genera. To resolve the genomic locations of the most prevalent MGEs, we performed long-read sequencing on a subset of representative isolates and generated highly contiguous, hybrid-assembled genomes. Many of these genomes contained plasmids and chromosomal elements encoding one or more of the MGEs we identified, which were often arranged in a mosaic fashion. We then tracked the appearance of ten MGE-bearing plasmids in all 2,173 genomes, and found evidence supporting the transfer of plasmids between patients independent from bacterial transmission. Finally, we identified two instances of likely plasmid transfer across genera within individual patients. In one instance, the plasmid appeared to have subsequently transferred to a second patient. By surveying a large number of bacterial genomes sampled from infections at a single hospital in a systematic and unbiased manner, we were able to track the independent transfer of MGEs over time. This work expands our understanding of HGT in healthcare settings, and can inform efforts to limit the spread of drug-resistant pathogens in hospitals.


10.2196/24360 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e24360
Author(s):  
Benjamin Heritier Slovis ◽  
Jeffrey M Riggio ◽  
Melanie Girondo ◽  
Cara Martino ◽  
Bracken Babula ◽  
...  

Background The United States is in an opioid epidemic. Passive decision support in the electronic health record (EHR) through opioid prescription presets may aid in curbing opioid dependence. Objective The objective of this study is to determine whether modification of opioid prescribing presets in the EHR could change prescribing patterns for an entire hospital system. Methods We performed a quasi-experimental retrospective pre–post analysis of a 24-month period before and after modifications to our EHR’s opioid prescription presets to match Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We included all opioid prescriptions prescribed at our institution for nonchronic pain. Our modifications to the EHR include (1) making duration of treatment for an opioid prescription mandatory, (2) adding a quick button for 3 days’ duration while removing others, and (3) setting the default quantity of all oral opioid formulations to 10 tablets. We examined the quantity in tablets, duration in days, and proportion of prescriptions greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents/day for our hospital system, and compared these values before and after our intervention for effect. Results There were 78,246 prescriptions included in our study written on 30,975 unique patients. There was a significant reduction for all opioid prescriptions pre versus post in (1) the overall median quantity of tablets dispensed (54 [IQR 40-120] vs 42 [IQR 18-90]; P<.001), (2) median duration of treatment (10.5 days [IQR 5.0-30] vs 7.5 days [IQR 3.0-30]; P<.001), and (3) proportion of prescriptions greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents/day (27.46% [10,704/38,976; 95% CI 27.02%-27.91%] vs 22.86% [8979/39,270; 95% CI 22.45%-23.28%]; P<.001). Conclusions Modifications of opioid prescribing presets in the EHR can improve prescribing practice patterns. Reducing duration and quantity of opioid prescriptions could reduce the risk of dependence and overdose.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dee Shortridge ◽  
Michael A Pfaller ◽  
S J Ryan Arends ◽  
Janet Raddatz ◽  
Daryl D DePestel ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa remains an important cause of hospital-acquired infections in the United States and is frequently multidrug-resistant (MDR). The Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines recommend empiric combination therapy that includes an antipseudomonal β-lactam with an aminoglycoside or fluoroquinolone likely to cover ≥95% of P. aeruginosa infections in seriously ill patients at risk of having an MDR pathogen. Ceftolozane is an antipseudomonal cephalosporin, combined with the β-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam. Ceftolozane-tazobactam is approved for treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections. A phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia including ventilator-associated pneumoniae was recently completed. We compared the in vitro susceptibility rate of ceftolozane-tazobactam with the cumulative susceptibility rates of antibiotic combinations commonly used against P. aeruginosa. Methods Isolates were collected from intensive care unit patients hospitalized in 32 US hospitals from 2011 to 2017. The susceptibilities of 1543 P. aeruginosa isolates from bloodstream infections (198 isolates, 12.8%) or pneumonia (1345 isolates, 87.2%) were determined for ceftolozane-tazobactam and comparators. Results The most active antimicrobials were colistin (99.4% susceptible), amikacin (98.1% susceptible), and ceftolozane-tazobactam (96.5% susceptible). The susceptibilities to other antipseudomonal β-lactams and fluoroquinolones were &lt;84%. A cumulative susceptibility of ≥95% was reached for cefepime, ceftazidime, meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam only in combination with amikacin due to the lower susceptibilities of gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin. Monotherapies that exceeded 95% were ceftolozane-tazobactam, amikacin, and colistin. Conclusions Ceftolozane-tazobactam monotherapy is likely to be active against more isolates than a combination of another β-lactam and a fluoroquinolone or gentamicin for serious P. aeruginosa infections.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Ray ◽  
William E. Trick ◽  
Michael Y. Lin

OBJECTIVEBecause antibacterial history is difficult to obtain, especially when the exposure occurred at an outside hospital, we assessed whether infection-related diagnostic billing codes, which are more readily available through hospital discharge databases, could infer prior antibacterial receipt.DESIGNRetrospective cohort study.PARTICIPANTSThis study included 121,916 hospitalizations representing 78,094 patients across the 3 hospitals.METHODSWe obtained hospital inpatient data from 3 Chicago-area hospitals. Encounters were categorized as “infection” if at least 1 International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code indicated a bacterial infection. From medication administration records, we categorized antibacterial agents and calculated total therapy days using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions. We evaluated bivariate associations between infection encounters and 3 categories of antibacterial exposure: any, broad spectrum, or surgical prophylaxis. We constructed multivariable models to evaluate adjusted risk ratios for antibacterial receipt.RESULTSOf the 121,916 inpatient encounters (78,094 patients) across the 3 hospitals, 24% had an associated infection code, 47% received an antibacterial, and 13% received a broad-spectrum antibacterial. Infection-related ICD-9-CM codes were associated with a 2-fold increase in antibacterial administration compared to those lacking such codes (RR, 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.27–2.31) and a 5-fold increased risk for broad-spectrum antibacterial administration (RR, 5.52; 95% CI, 5.37–5.67). Encounters with infection codes had 3 times the number of antibacterial days.CONCLUSIONSInfection diagnostic billing codes are strong surrogate markers for prior antibacterial exposure, especially to broad-spectrum antibacterial agents; such an association can be used to enhance early identification of patients at risk of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) carriage at the time of admission.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:377–382


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Lin ◽  
Yorgo Zahlanie ◽  
Jessica K Ortwine ◽  
Norman S Mang ◽  
Wenjing Wei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics prescribed in the outpatient setting, though they have serious side effects. This study evaluates the impact of stewardship interventions on total and inappropriate prescribing of fluoroquinolones in outpatient settings in a large county hospital and health system. Methods In an effort to decrease inappropriate outpatient fluoroquinolone usage, a multimodal antimicrobial stewardship initiative was implemented in November 2016. Education regarding the risks, benefits, and appropriate uses of fluoroquinolones was provided to providers in different outpatient settings, Food and Drug Administration warnings were added to all oral fluoroquinolone orders, an outpatient order set for cystitis treatment was created, and fluoroquinolone susceptibilities were suppressed when appropriate. Charts from October 2016, 2017, and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed if the patient encounter occurred in primary care clinics, emergency departments, or urgent care centers within Parkland Health & Hospital System and a fluoroquinolone was prescribed. Inappropriate use was defined as a fluoroquinolone prescription for cystitis, bronchitis, or sinusitis in a patient without a history of Pseudomonas aeruginosa or multidrug-resistant organisms and without drug allergies that precluded use of other oral antibiotics. Results Total fluoroquinolone prescriptions per 1000 patient visits decreased significantly by 39% (P &lt; .01), and inappropriate fluoroquinolone use decreased from 53% to 34% (P &lt; .01). More than 90% of inappropriate fluoroquinolone prescriptions were given for cystitis, while bronchitis and sinusitis accounted for only 4.4% and 1.6% of inappropriate indications, respectively. Conclusion A multimodal stewardship initiative appears to effectively reduce both total and inappropriate outpatient fluoroquinolone prescriptions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 189-195
Author(s):  
Joveria Q Farooqi ◽  
Asad S Soomro ◽  
Mirza A Baig ◽  
Shamoona F Sajjad ◽  
Kamran Hamid ◽  
...  

Background: From September 2014, a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, started diagnosing 3–5 cases/month of a yeast locally identified as Saccharomyces spp. resistant to fluconazole. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the isolates as Candida auris. The Pakistan Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) and the hospital investigated the outbreak from April 2015 to January 2016. Objective: The aim of the outbreak investigation was to determine the risk factors and to inform measures to limit the spread of the organism in the hospital. Methods: Medical records, nursing schedules and infection control practices were reviewed. Sixty-two age- and sex-matched hospital controls from the same wards were identified. Results: Thirty cases (17 males) were identified (mean age = 51.6 years, age range = 2–91 years), case fatality was 53%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that a history of surgery within 90 days of diagnosis, admission to the emergency department and history of chronic kidney disease were significantly associated with C. auris infection. Discussion: This is the report of the outbreak investigation that triggered a global exploration of C. auris as a newly identified multidrug-resistant nosocomial organism, spreading within the hospital, especially among patients with invasive procedures. Unfortunately, we could not identify any specific source of the outbreak nor stop the transmission of the organism.


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