methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

C. diff threat growing across the U.S.

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Clostridium difficile has long been known to providers as a common but easily-treated bug whose symptoms aren't a big deal. However, of late a drug-resistant strain of C. diff has become more common, posing far greater risks to patients. In fact, some health officials now rank C. diff on par with MRSA as a top infection acquired in hospitals. And it's tough to fight; typical germicides and alcohol sanitizers don't kill it, nor does routine cleaning of surfaces.

Overall C. diff infections in the U.S. have more than doubled since 2000. The NAP1 type of the bacteria, which produces 20 times the toxins of a more benign form, can cause devastating symptoms that can sometimes be lethal. In 2005, almost 10 percent of the patients who were diagnosed as having the bug died. However, some officials think the infection and death rates from C. diff may be much higher, as providers currently aren't required to report the presence of the bug.

To learn more about C. diff's spread:
- read this MSNBC.com article

Related Articles:
Study: C. diff infections, deaths up in hospitals
CDC warns C. diff a threat for hospitals
MDs, hospitals face tough C. diff battle
C. diff deaths shoot up in Ohio

Aggressive MRSA screening for health workers recommended

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

A new study suggests that to reduce infection rates, it's important to carefully screen healthcare workers for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in addition to taking other steps. The study, which appears in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, looked at data from 169 studies of 33,318 healthcare workers in 37 countries. It concluded that 4.6 percent of workers carried MRSA--and that of these, 5.1 percent had clinical MRSA infections. Even if staff members use sound infection-control procedures, they may still spread MRSA if they're heavily colonized by the diseases themselves, the authors note. To address this issue, provider organizations should routinely screen health workers regardless of their current health status, including pre-employment and before work shifts.

To learn more about the study:
- read this HealthDay News piece

Related Articles:
Study: Broad testing can slash MRSA rates
Study: MRSA testing may not help
VA program slashes MRSA infection rates
Case study: NC hospital cuts MRSA rates

Study: Number of drug-resistant germs rising

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Here's an unsettling statistic, to say the least. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the number of germs resistant to antibiotics is growing. The Institute, which is part of NIH, will publish an article in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, stating that one in five of the 94,360 patients who developed an invasive MRSA infection in 2005 died. Also, 20 percent of tuberculosis cases worldwide are drug-resistant, with 10 percent "extensively" drug resistant, the agency said. Perhaps most sobering, as of 2002: 14 percent of certain bloodstream infections were resistant to antibiotics, up from 4 percent in 1993.

To learn more about this study:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
Study: Broad testing can slash MRSA rates. Report
Study: MRSA testing may not help. Report
Case study: NY hospital isolates MRSA patients. Report
Case study: NC hospital cuts MRSA rates. Report
VA program slashes MRSA infection rates. Report
Study: Disinfectant cuts down on MRSA. Report

Study: Broad testing can slash MRSA rates

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Last week, a study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that screening surgical patients for MRSA isn't particularly effective in blocking the spread of the disease. Now, a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine has concluded that screening of all hospital patients for MRSA can significantly reduce hospital-acquired infections. While the two might seem to be at odds, some observers say the two studies actually aren't contradictory. The message, researchers say, is that it's not enough to test just high-risk groups; it's critical to test your entire population if you really want to slow progression of the disease, they suggest.

The recent study, done at Evanston Northwestern, began by determining that bout 8.5 percent of all patients had the bacteria on their bodies. The researchers then began testing all patients being admitted to the ICU for the presence of MRSA, the placed them in isolation with special precautions to avoid the spread of disease. (This is what the state of Illinois requires all hospitals to do.) As it happened, however, this did nothing to cut Evanston's MRSA rates. However, in 2005, Evanston began testing all patients for MRSA. At that point, hospital-acquired MRSA rates dropped 70 percent.

This is a strong argument for instituting state or even federal rules requiring universal MRSA testing, don't you think?

To learn more about the new research:
- read this Chicago Tribune piece

Related Articles:
Study: MRSA testing may not help. Report
Case study: NY hospital isolates MRSA patients. Report
Case study: NC hospital cuts MRSA rates. Report
VA program slashes MRSA infection rates. Report
Study: Disinfectant cuts down on MRSA. Report

Study: Broad MRSA testing may not help

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

A new study suggests that despite widely held beliefs to the contrary, universal testing for MRSA may not be clinically or cost-effective. The study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluded that broad testing of patients for MRSA in a Swiss hospital didn't reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections and didn't save money.

To conduct the study, Swiss researchers screened 10,193 surgery patients admitted to the University of Geneva Hospitals between October 2004 and May 2006, while reviewing the histories of an additional control group of more than 10,000 surgery patients who didn't get tested. When patients tested positive for MRSA, the Geneva Hospital put them in isolation, scrubbed them with disinfectant and gave them special antibiotics. Regardless, the rate of hospital-acquired MRSA infections didn't differ for the two groups.

Right now, many hospitals are voluntarily rolling out costly MRSA-testing programs for all inpatients, and some states are requiring that they do so. This study calls such strategies into question, researches suggested.

To find out more about the study:
- read this Chicago Tribune article

Related Articles:
Case study: NY hospital isolates MRSA patients. Report
Case study: NC hospital cuts MRSA rates. Report
VA program slashes MRSA infection rates. Report
Study: Disinfectant cuts down on MRSA. Report

Study: Tests for drug-resistant infections cut deaths

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Testing hospitalized patients for drug-resistant infections can cut mortality rates and lengths of stay and can lower costs of care, according to new research by the Advanced Medical Technology Association. For example, the study found that among patients with a secondary staph infection, those tested for antimicrobial susceptibility had a 52 percent lower probability of death before discharge. They also had a 17 percent lower mean length of stay, equating to $6,978 lower cost per discharge. AdvaMed estimates that testing all patients with this diagnosis in 2005 would have saved $8.3 billion. The study also found that among patients with any infectious and parasitic disease diagnosis, testing for antimicrobial susceptibility led to a 30 percent lower probability of death before discharge, 26 percent lower mean length of stay, and $7,524 lower cost per discharge.

To learn more about the study:
- read this AdvaMed press release

Related Articles:
CT hospitals fight drug-resistant organisms. Report
MA hospital-acquired infections cost millions. Report
Study: Simple steps can cut ICU infections. Report
SPOTLIGHT: Battling deadly biofilms. Report
VHA program fights hospital-acquired infections. Report
Infections hurt patients, providers. Report

ALSO NOTED: WA gives health plan premium controls to commissioner; Egyptian doctors consider strike; and much more...

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Washington's insurance commissioner will now get to decide whether health plans can raise their premiums. Article

> Egyptian doctors are mad as hell, upset by low pay and poor working conditions, and they're ready to strike. Article

> Maryland doctors and legislators are at odds over how to respond to the growing MRSA threat. Article

> Enterprising doctors have opened their own Fort Worth-based hospital to serve the fast-growing southwest quadrant of the metro. Article

And Finally... Feeling sleepy? Well, no wonder. Article

California lags in drug-resistant infection reporting

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Earlier this month, California public health officials announced they'd begin tracking community-based MRSA infections, e.g. those contracted in schools, gyms and other community settings. At the time they argued, in essence, that while community-based MRSA is less common than healthcare-acquired MRSA, it's not as well understood. Now, these officials are taking a drubbing. State health experts and consumer advocates are saying that this measure is woefully inadequate, given that the vast majority of MRSA infections occur in healthcare facilities. Epidemiologists say that in focusing on community-based forms of MRSA, California is behind at least 15 other states which are currently tracking MRSA within provider settings. In fact, several of those states not only are collecting facility-based data, but are making it available to the public or setting plans to do so.

The California Nurses Association is pushing to see infection-rate reporting made public for all of the state's 6,000-odd healthcare facilities. Meanwhile, hospitals continue to resist such disclosures, saying that such reporting would impose serious staffing costs and lots of taxing paperwork.

To learn more about California's infection-reporting plans:
- read this Los Angeles Times piece

Related Articles:
Report: MRSA moving out of healthcare settings. Article
Hospitals screen incoming patients for MRSA. Article

CA hospitals must report serious staph cases

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

California's public health department has issued an order requiring hospitals to report some staph infections resulting in death or an ICU stay to local health authorities. It's not focused on the MRSA cases that occur in fragile patients already in the hospital, however. The new requirement is limited to cases that start outside hospitals or nursing homes in otherwise healthy people. Officials are particularly worried about an especially virulent strain of MRSA, USA 300, which seems to behind a growing number of community-acquired staph infections. Meanwhile, hospitals are preparing for a proposal which will require the state to collect case data on MRSA bloodstream infections by July 1st. The plan is supported by the California Hospital Association.

To get reactions to the California policy:
- read this San Francisco Chronicle piece

Related Articles:
Non-hospital MRSA more dangerous. Report
Study: MRSA infecting up to 5 percent of patients. Report
VA program slashes MRSA infection rates. Report
MRSA-CA danger to healthcare workers. Report
Study: Disinfectant cuts down on MRSA. Report

CT hospitals fight drug-resistant organisms

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Connecticut hospitals plan to launch an initiative shortly to prevent and control infections caused by multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDRO). The initiative, spearheaded by the Connecticut Hospital Association, will kick off the effort with a Feb. 1 symposium focused on effective hospital initiatives. It will launch an MDRO working collaborative of 30 acute- and long-term care hospitals which will share prevention and control strategies. Members of the group have also made a pledge to reduce infections, which includes a promise to share and report information as well as push staff toward 100 percent compliance with standard infection-control protocols such as hand-washing and proper antibiotic use.

To find out more about the initiative:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
Study: Tracking, control of hospital infections still tough. Report
MA hospital-acquired infections cost millions. Report
Study: Simple steps can cut ICU infections. Report
SPOTLIGHT: Battling deadly biofilms. Report
VHA program fights hospital-acquired infections. Report
Infections hurt patients, providers. Report