Targeted Surveillance to Identify Children Colonized with Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Milstone ◽  
Lisa L. Maragakis ◽  
Karen C. Carroll ◽  
Trish M. Perl
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Pediatric Infection

Performing admission surveillance cultures is a resource-intensive strategy to identify asymptomatic patients with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization. We measured VRE prevalence among children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Targeted surveillance captured 94% of VRE-colonized children and may be an effective strategy to identify VRE carriers and facilitate pediatric infection prevention strategies.

Unrecognized Burden of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Carriage in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1174-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Milstone ◽  
Xiaoyan Song ◽  
Claire Beers ◽  
Ivor Berkowitz ◽  
Karen C. Carroll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

Routinely, children's hospitals use data from clinical cultures to estimate the burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) carriage. In our pediatric intensive care unit, a program of weekly surveillance cultures uncovered an unrecognized reservoir of MRSA and VRE carriers. This weekly surveillance enabled more accurate estimates of the incidence rates of MRSA and VRE carriage and led to an increased number of isolation-days for patients.

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