Compliance of operating room sterilization procedures with valid Scientific guidelines

introduction: Infections caused by surgeries have always been considered a primary concern of medical centers and are associated with irreversible complications. Using appropriate sterilization procedures reduces these complications. This study aimed to investigate how compliant are the current sterilization procedures of operating room (OR) environment and instruments with valid scientific standards. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study examined ophthalmology, gynecology, and otorhinolaryngology ORs of Valiasr Hospital in Birjand. With the presence of the researcher in the OR, a standard 41-item checklist consisting of three parts (environmental cleaning, equipment cleaning, and sterilization procedure) was completed for each OR in each shift. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test by SPSS(Version18) in significant level (a=0.05). Results: A total of 50 questionnaires were filled out for ORs. The highest number of questionnaires were completed for the gynecology OR, and the most elective surgeries were performed in the morning shift. There was no significant difference between the median score of OR instruments cleaning and that of valid scientific guidelines in terms of steralization (P> 0.05). The median scores of sterilization procedures and steps in hospital ORs were significantly different from those of scientific guidelines in the field of sterilization of surgical operations (P <0.05). Conclusion: The study findings indicate cases of mismatch between the quality of infection control and sterilization in the ORs of Vali-asar Hospital in Birjand and those recommended by valid scientific standards and guidelines.

Value-Added Products From Soil, Brown Coal, and Composted City Solid Waste

This review article highlights alternative innovative uses of soil, brown coal, and composted solid city waste. The latter leads to environmental pollution, which can be addressed by using these materials to generate value-added products. Humic substances present there can be isolated in large amounts and used in diverse fields like sustainable agriculture, horticulture, biomedicine, and materials science. These have been shown to be non-toxic and safe for humans and serve as growth promotants for plants and to cure stomach ailments. The recent discovery of their antiviral/anti-HIV-AIDS activity is described here in some detail. The use of humic substances for making dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and for preparing a catalyst for reduction and for oxidation processes is also highlighted. Such innovative uses of humic substances can lead to environmental cleaning and positively impact climate change.

Case Report: Clostridium neonatale Bacteremia in a Preterm Neonate With Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a life-threatening acquired gastrointestinal disorder among preterm neonates and is associated with a high mortality rate and long-term neurodevelopmental morbidity. No etiologic agent has been definitively established; nonetheless, the most implicated bacteria include members of the Clostridium genus. We reported here on a case of Clostridium neonatale bacteremia in a preterm neonate with necrotizing enterocolitis, providing more information regarding the potential role of this bacterium in pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis. We emphasized the sporulating form of C. neonatale that confers resistance to disinfectants usually applied for the hospital environmental cleaning. Further works are needed to establish the causal relationship between the occurrence of NEC and the isolation of C. neonatale, with promising perspectives in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic management.

A hospital-wide outbreak of IMI-17-producing Enterobacter ludwigii in an Israeli hospital

Absract Background To describe the course and intervention of an hospital-wide IMI-Producing Enterobacter ludwigii outbreak. Methods This was an outbreak interventional study, done at a tertiary care center in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Data was collected on the course of the outbreak and the demographic and clinical characteristics of all patients involved in the outbreak. The intervention measures included patients’ cohorting, contact isolation precautions, environmental cleaning and screening of contacts. The molecular features and phylogeny of outbreak-related isolates were studied by whole-genome based analysis. Results The outbreak included 34 patients that were colonized by IMI-Producing E. ludwigii and were identified in 24 wards throughout the hospital. Colonization was identified in the first 72 h of admission in 13/34 patients (38.2%). Most patients (91.2%) were admitted from home and had relatively low level of comorbidities. The majority of them (88%) had no recent use of invasive catheters and none had previous carriage of other multi-drug resistant bacteria. All available isolates harbored the blaIMI-17 allele and belonged to Sequence-Type 385. With the exception of two isolates, all isolates were closely related with less than a 20-SNP difference between them. Conclusions This outbreak had most likely originated in the community and subsequently disseminated inside our institution. More studies are required in order to elucidate the epidemiology of IMI-Producing E. ludwigii and the possible role of environmental sources in its dissemination.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene services in health care facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia

Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a priority at the global, national, and local levels. To inform improvements planning, conditions of WASH, waste management, and environmental cleaning were assessed in 81 facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of a nationally representative survey in 2019. The survey included on-site checks, structured interviews, and drinking-water quality analysis. WHO/UNICEF indicators for WASH service levels and an advanced service level defined at the national level were applied. The results showed that all investigated facilities provided basic water services; 94% of facilities provided basic hygiene and waste management services; 58 and 2%, respectively, provided basic cleaning and sanitation services. Only 1% of investigated facilities met the basic level for all five WASH dimensions. Advanced service levels were only met for hygiene, waste management, and/or cleaning in 15–38% of facilities. In 33% of health care facilities, drinking-water quality was not in compliance with the national standards. The results revealed that there is a need for increased awareness and efforts to ensure basic provisions for sanitation, environmental cleaning, and drinking-water safety.

794. The Role of the Environment in Healthcare-associated Transmission of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus: A Proof of Concept Study

Background Transmission of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) from environment to patient and patient to patient can both occur in healthcare settings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a cohort of exposed patients on an inpatient unit with an extensive VRE outbreak needed to switch physical locations with a non-exposed patient population. By comparing outcomes of both cohorts, we aimed to determine the role of the physical environment (both direct and indirect contact) as compared to the patient population, in ongoing VRE transmission. Methods From 10 March to 21 April 2021, 41 new nosocomial acquisitions of VRE were detected as part of a VRE outbreak on a 34-bed acute care unit. Prior to the switch of units, extensive cleaning of the unit was conducted including electrostatic adjuncts to standard cleaning and environmental swabbing for VRE yielded no positive surfaces. The exposed cohort included 3 of 30 patients with VRE while the non-exposed cohort had 0 of 28 VRE positive patients based on prevalence testing on 21 April 2021. Following the physical relocation of both cohorts on 22 April, 2021, prospective VRE screening was performed on both units for one month including on admission, discharge and weekly prevalence screening. Hand hygiene compliance rates on both units was measured using group electronic monitoring. Results Figure 1 depicts the timeline and number of VRE cases before and after the unit switch. Following relocation of the VRE exposed cohort to the new unit, no further VRE transmission was detected (0/235 VRE screens; 0 VRE cases per 1000 patient days). Conversely, there were new VRE transmissions (3/99 VRE screens, 5 VRE cases per 1000 patient days) in the non-exposed cohort. When the units resumed their original location, one additional case of VRE was identified in the exposed cohort upon return to their original location. These transmissions occurred despite HH compliance of 94% (141,610/150,706) during the entire study period on the outbreak unit, which was consistently higher than on the non-outbreak unit (141,589/227,136, 62%).Figure 1. Conclusion The environmental reservoir for VRE may be more important in transmission than the patient reservoir. These findings underscore the importance of environmental cleaning to contain VRE outbreaks. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

804. Infection Control and Clinical Support in Long-Term Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in North Toronto: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background Wave one of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada, resulted in significant institutional outbreaks associated with high case fatality among older adults. Our hospital formally partnered with congregate care homes in north Toronto to support infection control and clinical management before wave two of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of this program on resident and healthcare worker (HCW) outcomes. Methods A multicentre quasi-experimental study was conducted comparing outcomes between wave one (March-June, 2020) and wave two (October-December, 2020) among 17 congregate care homes (4 long term care homes and 13 residential homes). During wave two, weekly meetings and 42 on-site visits were conducted along with on-site daily hospital presence for all COVID-19 outbreaks to support infection control and resident management. The primary outcomes included COVID-19-case fatality rate as well as overall resident fatality including COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related causes. Secondary outcomes included healthcare worker COVID-19 infections, and infection control practices among homes with paired audits (n=6), including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, environmental cleaning and physical distancing practices. Results Among 2203 residents during wave one and 2287 residents during wave two, there was reduction in COVID-19 case fatality rate (38.1% vs. 13.4%; p&lt; 0.01), overall COVID-19-related fatality (2.3% vs. 1.0%; p&lt; 0.01) and non COVID-19 related fatality (8.3% vs. 3.5%; p&lt; 0.01). Weekly staff testing and increased syndromic surveillance was implemented during wave two. Among 2590 staff, there were 2.6% vs.4.2% staff who tested positive for COVID-19 during wave one and two, respectively. Changes in infection control practice were observed in regard to directly observed hand hygiene (83.3% vs. 100%), use of personal protective equipment (16.7% vs. 83.3%), environmental cleaning (66.7% vs. 100%) and physical distancing (66.7% vs. 83.3%). Conclusion Integration of hospital with community congregate care homes was associated with improvements in resident outcomes during wave two of the pandemic. Further longitudinal support and evaluation is needed to ensure sustainability. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

802. Corynebacterium striatum Outbreak Among Ventilated COVID-19 Patients in an Acute Care Hospital – California, 2021

Background Corynebacterium striatum (CS), a common human commensal colonizing the skin and nasopharynx, has been associated with nosocomial infections in immunocompromised and chronically ill patients. During the winter 2020-2021 COVID-19 surge, a 420-bed California hospital reported a marked increase in CS respiratory cultures among ventilated COVID-19 patients. We conducted a public health investigation to assess and mitigate nosocomial transmission and contributing infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Methods A case was defined as a patient with CS in respiratory cultures from January 1, 2020 - February 28, 2021. We reviewed clinical characteristics on a subset of cases in 2021 and IPC practices in affected hospital locations. CS respiratory isolates collected on different dates and locations were assessed for relatedness by whole genome sequencing (WGS) on MiSeq. Results Eighty-three cases were identified, including 75 among COVID-19 patients (Figure 1). Among 62 patients identified in 2021, all were ventilated; 58 also had COVID-19, including 4 cases identified on point prevalence survey (PPS). The median time from admission to CS culture was 19 days (range, 0-60). Patients were critically ill; often it was unclear whether CS cultures represented colonization or infection. During the COVID-19 surge, two hospital wings (7W and 7S) were converted to negative-pressure COVID-19 units. Staff donned and doffed personal protective equipment in anterooms outside the units; extended use of gowns was practiced, and lapses in glove changes and hand hygiene (HH) between patients likely occurred. In response to the CS outbreak, patients were placed in Contact precautions and cohorted. Staff were re-educated on IPC for COVID-19 patients. Gowns were changed between CS patients. Subsequent PPS were negative. Two CS clusters were identified by WGS: cluster 1 (5 cases) in unit 7W, and cluster 2 (2 cases) in unit 7S (Figure 2). Figure 1. Corynebacterium striatum Respiratory Cultures January 2020-February 2021 Figure 2. Phylogenetic Tree Corynebacterium striatum Isolates Conclusion A surge in patients, extended use of gowns and lapses in core IPC practices including HH and environmental cleaning and disinfection during the winter 2020-2021 COVID-19 surge likely contributed to this CS outbreak. WGS provides supportive evidence for nosocomial CS transmission among critically ill COVID-19 patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Public justification and expert disagreement over non-pharmaceutical interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic

A wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been introduced to stop or slow down the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples include school closures, environmental cleaning and disinfection, mask mandates, restrictions on freedom of assembly and lockdowns. These NPIs depend on coercion for their effectiveness, either directly or indirectly. A widely held view is that coercive policies need to be publicly justified—justified to each citizen—to be legitimate. Standardly, this is thought to entail that there is a scientific consensus on the factual propositions that are used to support the policies. In this paper, we argue that such a consensus has been lacking on the factual propositions justifying most NPIs. Consequently, they would on the standard view be illegitimate. This is regrettable since there are good reasons for granting the state the legitimate authority to enact NPIs under conditions of uncertainty. The upshot of our argument is that it is impossible to have both the standard interpretation of the permissibility of empirical claims in public justification and an effective pandemic response. We provide an alternative view that allows the state sufficient room for action while precluding the possibility of it acting without empirical support.