Prevention of Infections Associated With Permanent Cardiac Antiarrhythmic Devices by Implementation of a Comprehensive Infection Control Program

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 492-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Borer ◽  
Jacob Gilad ◽  
Eytan Hyam ◽  
Francisc Schlaeffer ◽  
Pnina Schlaeffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Pacemaker Implantation ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Cardiac Device ◽  
Infection Control Program

AbstractObjective:To implement a comprehensive infection control (IC) program for prevention of cardiac device-associated infections (CDIs).Design:Prospective before-after trial with 2 years of follow-up.Setting:A tertiary-care, university-affiliated medical center.Patients:A consecutive sample of all adults undergoing cardiac device implantation between 1997 and 2002.Intervention:An IC program was implemented during late 2001 and included staff education, preoperative modification of patient risk factors, intraoperative control of strict aseptic technique, surgical scrubbing and attire, control of environmental risk factors, optimization of antibiotic prophylaxis, postoperative wound care, and active surveillance. The clinical endpoint was CDI rates.Results:Between 1997 and 2000, there were 7 CDIs among 725 procedures (mean annual CDI incidence, 1%). During the first 9 months of 2001, there were 7 CDIs among 167 procedures (4.2%; P = .007): CDIs increased from 7 among 576 to 3 among 124 following pacemaker implantation (P = .39) and from 0 among 149 to 4 among 43 following cardioverter-defibrillator implantation (P = .002). Of the 14 CDIs, 5 involved superficial wounds, 7 involved deep wounds, and 2 involved endocarditis. Following intervention, there were no cases of CDI among 316 procedures during 24 months of follow-up (4.2% reduction; P = .0005).Conclusions:We observed a high CDI rate associated with substantial morbidity. IC measures had an impact on CDI. Although the relative weight of each measure in the prevention of CDI remains unknown, our results suggest that implementation of a comprehensive IC program is feasible and efficacious in this setting.

An Evaluation of Autopsy Review as a Technique for Infection Control: A Procedure of Questionable Value

1983 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent Crossley ◽  
Janice Johnson ◽  
Rebecca Mudge ◽  
Laura Crossley
Keyword(s):  
Nosocomial Infection ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Joint Commission ◽  
Hospital Infection ◽  
Infection Control Program ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
The Joint Commission

AbstractReview of necropsy reports for evidence of undiagnosed antemortem infection is included by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals as an element of an effective hospital infection control program. We reviewed records of 155 patients autopsied at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center between January 1, 1980 and March 31, 1981. In 13 patients (8%), there was a discrepancy between documentation of infection during the patient's hospitalization and at autopsy. However, in none of these cases was this information useful in our infection control program. We doubt the effectiveness of necropsy review as a tool for nosocomial infection control.

Infection Control Violations

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 672-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda A. Homing ◽  
Philip W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Medical Director ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Infection Control Program ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
State And Local

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations UCAHO) mandates a hospital-wide infection control program.' National, state, and local healthcare guidelines and resources address infection control issues including asepsis, handwashing, isolation precautions, Universal Precautions (UP), and waste disposal. One important aspect of an infection control program is the monitoring of compliance with policies and procedures. We report a system of monitoring compliance with infection control policies and procedures through the use of confidential infection control violation reports.Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital is a 550-bed tertiary care center that has an epidemiology services department consisting of a medical director, associate medical director, and two nurse epidemiologists. Hospital personnel have been encouraged through formal and informal educational sessions to report infection control violations to the service. Prior to 1986, infection control violations usually were noted through special studies such as isolation precautions monitors and surveillance activities. Occasionally, employees told Epidemiology Services about a witnessed violation but were very hesitant to document the incident because of fear of retaliation, harassment, and job loss. Peer pressure appeared to play a role in this hesitation.

Implementation of an intensified infection control program to reduce MRSA transmissions in a German tertiary care hospital

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 643-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Trautmann ◽  
Angela Pollitt ◽  
Ulrike Loh ◽  
Iris Synowzik ◽  
Wolfgang Reiter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Infection Control Program

scholarly journals High effectiveness of multimodal infection control interventions in preventing SARS−CoV−2 infections in healthcare professionals: a prospective longitudinal seroconversion study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Theo Brehm ◽  
Dorothee Schwinge ◽  
Sibylle Lampalzer ◽  
Veronika Schlicker ◽  
Julia Kuechen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Seroconversion Rate ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Tertiary Care Centre ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of multimodal infection control interventions in the prevention of SARS−CoV−2 infections in healthcare professionals. Design: Sequential follow−up study. Setting: Largest tertiary care centre in northern Germany. Participants: 1253 employees of the University Medical Center Hamburg−Eppendorf were sequentially assessed for the presence of SARS−CoV−2 IgG antibodies at the beginning of the covid−19 epidemic (20 March − 9 April), one month (20 April − 8 May), and another two months later (22 June − 24 July). Of those, 1026 were healthcare workers (HCWs) of whom 292 were directly involved in the care of covid−19 patients. During the study period, infection control interventions were deployed, those included i) strict barrier nursing of all known covid−19 patients including FFP2 (N95) masks, goggles, gloves, hoods and protective gowns, ii) visitor restrictions with access control at all hospital entries, iii) mandatory wearing of disposable face masks in all clinical settings, and iv) universal RT−PCR admission screening of patients. Main Outcome Measures: SARS−CoV−2 IgG seroconversion rate. Results: At the initial screening, ten participants displayed significant IgG antibody ratios. Another ten individuals showed seroconversion at the second time point one month later, only two further participants seroconverted during the subsequent two months. The overall SARS−CoV−2 seroprevalence in the study cohort at the last follow−up was 1.8%, the seroconversion rate dropped from 0.81% to 0.08% per month despite a longer observation period. Amongst HCWs seropositivity was increased in those directly involved in the care of patients with SARS−CoV−2 infections (3.8%, n=11) compared to other HCWs (1.4%, n=10, P=0.025). However, after the adoption of all multimodal infection control interventions seroconversions were observed in only two more HCWs, neither of whom were involved in inpatient care. Conclusion: Multimodal infection control and prevention interventions are highly effective in mitigating SARS−CoV−2 infections of healthcare professionals.

scholarly journals Impact of an Infection Control Program on the Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections at a Tertiary Care Center in Switzerland

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Ebnöther ◽  
Beate Tanner ◽  
Flavia Schmid ◽  
Vittoria La Rocca ◽  
Ivo Heinzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Nosocomial Infection ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Tertiary Care Center ◽  
Infection Control Program ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Hygiene Compliance

Objective.To study the impact of a multimodal infection control program on the rate of nosocomial infections at a 550-bed tertiary care center.Methods.Before and after the implementation of an infection control program, the rate of nosocomial infection was recorded in time-interval prevalence studies. Hand hygiene compliance was studied before and after the intervention. As a surrogate marker of compliance, the amount of alcohol-based hand rub consumed before the intervention was compared with the amount consumed after the intervention. The intervention included additional staff for infection control, repeated instructions for hand hygiene, new guidelines for preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and isolation of patients infected or colonized with multidrug-resistant bacteria.Results.The rate of nosocomial infection decreased from approximately 11.7% to 6.8% in 2 years. The rate of hand hygiene compliance increased by 20.0%; it was 59.0% before the intervention and increased to 79.0% afterward. These results correlate with data on the consumption of alcohol-based hand rub, but not with data on the use of antibiotics.Conclusion.Within 2 years, a multimodal infection control program intervention such as this one may reduce the rate of nosocomial infection at a tertiary care center by more than one-third and improve both the quality of care and patient outcomes. It may also generate considerable savings. Therefore, such programs should be promoted not only by hospital epidemiologists but also by hospital administrators.

Molecular Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: A 2-Year Perspective

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 653-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Stosor ◽  
Julie Kruszynski ◽  
Terra Suriano ◽  
Gary A. Noskin ◽  
Lance R. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Epidemiology ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Restriction Endonuclease Analysis ◽  
Nosocomial Transmission ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Infection Control Program ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

AbstractObjective:To determine the molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at our medical center in order to identify the extent of strain clonality and possible transmission patterns of this pathogen.Design:An important facet of our infection control program includes molecular typing of all clinical and surveillance isolates of VRE to determine transmission patterns in the hospital. Molecular strain typing is performed by restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) of genomic DNA. REA patterns are visually compared to categorize VRE strains into type and subtype designations.Setting:A 588-bed, university-affiliated, tertiary-care hospital and a neighboring 155-bed rehabilitation facility.Results:From January 1995 through December 1996, 379 VRE isolates were collected from 197 patients. Thirty-three genotypes were determined by REA typing; 15 genotypes were implicated in 29 instances of potential nosocomial transmission. Three major clusters of VRE involving patients on multiple nursing units and two adjacent hospitals were identified. The remaining instances of nosocomial transmission occurred in small patient clusters.Conclusions:In conclusion, the VRE epidemic at this medical center is polyclonal. VRE transmission patterns are complex, and, while large clusters do occur, the usual pattern of nosocomial acquisition of this pathogen occurs in the setting of “mini-clusters”.

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