Ann-Christine Nyquist

Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Update

Previously published guidelines are available that provide comprehensive recommendations for detecting and preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The intent of this document is to highlight practical recommendations in a concise format designed to assist acute care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. This document updates “Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals,” published in 2008. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise. The list of endorsing and supporting organizations is presented in the introduction to the 2014 updates.

Closed-hub systems with protected connections and the reduction of risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection in pediatric patients receiving intravenous prostanoid therapy for pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND Intravenous prostanoids (epoprostenol and treprostinil) are effective therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension but carry a risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI). Prevention of CR-BSI during long-term use of indwelling central venous catheters is important. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether using a closed-hub system and waterproofing catheter hub connections reduces the rate of CR-BSI per 1,000 catheter-days. DESIGN Single-center open observational study (January 2003-December 2008). PATIENTS Pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension who received intravenous prostanoids. METHODS In July 2007, CR-BSI preventive measures were implemented, including the use of a closed-hub system and the waterproofing of catheter hub connections during showering. Rates of CR-BSI before and after implementing preventive measures were compared with respect to medication administered and type of bacterial infection. RESULTS Fifty patients received intravenous prostanoid therapy for a total of 41,840 catheter-days. The rate of CR-BSI during the study period was 0.51 infections per 1,000 catheter-days for epoprostenol and 1.38 infections per 1,000 catheter-days for treprostinil, which differed significantly (P < .01). CR-BSIs caused by gram-negative pathogens occurred more frequently with treprostinil than with epoprostenol (0.91 infections per 1,000 catheter-days vs 0.08 infections per 1,000 catheter-days; P < .01). Patients treated with treprostinil after the implemented changes had a significant decrease in CR-BSI rate (1.95 infections per 1,000 catheter-days vs 0.19 infections per 1,000 catheter-days; P < .01). CONCLUSION The closed-hub system and the maintenance of dry catheter hub connections significantly reduced the incidence of CR-BSI (particularly infections caused by gram-negative pathogens) in patients receiving intravenous treprostinil.

Evaluation of a Rapid and Completely Automated Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR Assay for Diagnosis of Enteroviral Meningitis

ABSTRACT Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for enterovirus RNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have emerged as the new gold standard for diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis, and their use can improve the management and decrease the costs for caring for children with enteroviral meningitis. The Xpert EV assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) is a rapid, fully automated real-time PCR test for the detection of enterovirus RNA that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for in vitro diagnostic use in March 2007. In this multicenter trial we established the clinical performance characteristics of the Xpert EV assay in patients presenting with meningitis symptoms relative to clinical truth. Clinical truth for enteroviral meningitis was defined as clinical evidence of meningitis, the absence of another detectable pathogen in CSF, and detection of enterovirus in CSF either by two reference NAATs or by viral culture. A total of 199 prospectively and 235 retrospectively collected specimens were eligible for inclusion in this study. The overall prevalence of enteroviral meningitis was 26.04%. The Xpert EV assay had a sensitivity of 94.69% (90% confidence interval [CI] = 89.79 to 97.66%), specificity of 100% (90% CI = 99.07 to 100%), positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 98.17, and an accuracy of 98.62% relative to clinical truth. The Xpert EV assay demonstrated a high degree of accuracy for diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis. The simplicity and on-demand capability of the Xpert EV assay should prove to be a valuable adjunct to the evaluation of suspected meningitis cases.

Acyclovir-resistant neonatal herpes simplex virus infection of the larynx

A 10-day-old infant with stridor was found to have herpes simplex virus type 2 infection of the larynx. The infants poor clinical response to both acyclovir and foscarnet prompted extensive clinical and virologic evaluations, which revealed acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus.

Electronic surveillance system for monitoring surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Objectives. Antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis comprises one third of all antibiotic use in pediatric hospitals and 80% of all antibiotic use in surgery. Previous studies reported that antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis is often inconsistent with recommended guidelines. An electronic surveillance system was developed to measure antimicrobial utilization and to identify opportunities to improve and monitor the administration of antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with selected inpatient surgical procedures performed from May 1999 to April 2000 at 4 US children’s hospitals. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision surgical procedure codes were divided into clean or unclean categories, and an electronic surveillance system was designed using antibiotic and microbiologic culture utilization data to measure appropriate antimicrobial use associated with the surgical procedure. A medical chart review was conducted to validate the electronic system. Results. Ninety percent of cases were classified properly by the electronic surveillance system as confirmed by medical chart review. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis was not in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for almost half of all procedures. Prolonged antimicrobial administration in clean surgical procedures was the most frequent deviation from guidelines. Statistical differences between the index hospital and the comparison hospitals reflect both over- and underutilization of surgical prophylaxis with significant opportunity to improve prophylaxis for all hospitals. Conclusions. Antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis at the children’s hospitals studied is not always consistent with published AAP guidelines. This electronic surveillance system provides a rapid, reproducible, and validated tool to measure easily the efforts to improve adherence to AAP surgical prophylaxis guidelines.

Case-based Surveillance of Influenza Hospitalizations during 2004–2008, Colorado, USA

Case-based surveillance provides more information than any other influenza surveillance component.

Evaluating a web-based test results system at an urban STI clinic.

Background: Notifying patients of gonorrhea and chlamydia test results using online services may improve clinic efficiency and increase receipt of test results. This study evaluated the implementation of an online results system in an urban sexually transmitted infections clinic. Methods: Using the clinics electronic medical records system to assess if and how gonorrhea and chlamydia test results were obtained, 3 time periods were examined between December 2007 and April 2009: Period 1, six months before initiation of the online results system; Period 2, six months when patients could opt in for online results by creating their own access codes; and Period 3, four months when access codes were assigned. In addition, a survey was conducted to assess reasons for accepting or declining the online results system. Results: A total of 9056 new patient visits were evaluated. During Periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively 67%, 67%, and 70% patients received results either online or by telephone (NS). The proportion of patients calling the clinic for results decreased from 67% in Period 1, to 51% in Period 2, and 36% in Period 3 (P < 0.0001). Survey results indicated that patients accepted online results primarily because of the ability to check results anytime of day. Reasons for not accepting results online included lack of Internet access or a preference to receive results via the telephone. Conclusions: The online results system decreased the number of phone calls to the clinic pertaining to STI test results, but had no effect on the overall proportion of patients receiving results.

Pre‐pandemic planning survey of healthcare workers at a tertiary care children’s hospital: ethical and workforce issues

Please cite this paper as: Cowden et al. (2010). Pre‐pandemic planning survey of healthcare workers at a tertiary care children’s hospital: ethical and workforce issues. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(4), 213–222.

Respiratory viruses and their impact in healthcare.

Purpose of review As viral respiratory infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, and are associated with numerous challenges for infection control, we provide an overview of the most recent publications on healthcare-associated respiratory infections. Recent findings Populations most susceptible to respiratory viruses include neonates, immunocompromised and elderly populations. Newer polymerase chain reaction-based assays are more sensitive and are able to detect multiple respiratory viruses. The significance of virus detection among asymptomatic individuals, however, remains unclear. There is more evidence of airborne transmission of influenza, but currently N95 masks are recommended only for aerosol generating procedures. Transocular transmission of influenza has been demonstrated in the experimental setting, but further research is needed of transocular transmission of other respiratory viruses. Mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers against influenza has been shown to reduce influenza rates and patient mortality. Summary Infection control measures can be supplemented with use of polymerase chain reaction testing to determine causes, but the cornerstone of prevention relies on enforcing appropriate isolation measures for patients: hand hygiene; appropriate use of personal protective equipment by healthcare workers; illness screening of visitors; and influenza vaccination of healthcare workers, patients and families.

Infectious Shock and Toxic Shock Syndrome Diagnoses in Hospitals, Colorado, USA

In Colorado, USA, diagnoses coded as toxic shock syndrome (TSS) constituted 27.3% of infectious shock cases during 1993-2006. The incidence of staphylococcal TSS did not change significantly overall or in female patients 10-49 years of age but increased for streptococcal TSS. TSS may be underrecognized among all ages and both sexes.