L A Herwaldt

..The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiology of CA-CDI, by estimating the incidence of CA-CDI and HA-CDI, identifying patient-related risk factors for CA-CDI, and describing adverse health outcomes of CA-CDI...

..Numerous states have passed or have considered mandatory reporting laws for health care-associated infections. Such laws would increase ICPs' work further...

..We evaluated 4 important outcomes associated with postoperative nosocomial infection: costs, mortality, excess length of stay, and utilization of healthcare resources...

..aureus infections and the attendant complications. The published data that support the use of rifampicin, intranasal mupirocin and povidone-iodine to prevent S. aureus infections in patients on dialysis are reviewed in detail...

..This study was designed to determine whether family members and health care workers are a source of Staphylococcus aureus for patients on peritoneal dialysis...

..Both classic epidemiologic methods and molecular typing techniques were necessary to identify the source and extent of this outbreak...

..To determine the risk factors for Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in a 25-bed rural hospital and to compare antimicrobial use ratios at the study hospital with those at a large academic medical center...

..aureus nasal carriage. It remains to be seen whether preoperative weight loss would reduce the rate of nasal carriage. In addition, the value of screening this patient population for S. aureus nasal carriage merits further investigation...

..To identify infection control policies and practices used by Iowa long-term care facilities (LTCFs) for residents with Clostridium difficile infection or C. difficile-associated diarrhea and to assess use of antimicrobial agents...

..Burn patients may be at risk for numerous abscesses with USA300, because they have open wounds and their immune systems may be compromised...

..However, C. glabrata has emerged as an important and potentially antifungal resistant cause of candidemia, particularly among the elderly...

..A comprehensive bar code-based computerized tracking system was developed and implemented to identify and prevent transfusion errors...

..aureus surgical-site infections overall, but it did significantly decrease the rate of all nosocomial S. aureus infections among the patients who were S. aureus carriers...

..CONCLUSIONS: In Iowa, the epidemiology of MRSA differ from those of VRE. MRSA has become established in small rural hospitals. Effective MRSA control strategies may require inclusion of all hospitals in a state or region...

..aureus colonization or infection. The number of invasive devices to which patients are exposed and, thus, possibly the patients' underlying severity of illness, as well as renal insufficiency, appear to be risk factors for CC/CI...

..Groin wound infection (GWI) after femoral artery catheterization is unusual. However, several reports of GWI associated with the use of a Perclose device appear in the surgical literature...

..Infection control personnel and public health officials should work together to educate LTCF staff so that residents receive proper care and resistant organisms do not spread within this setting...

..We investigated the importance of control group selection during an evaluation of antimicrobial use as a risk factor for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia at our institution...

....

..Further study is necessary to determine the impact of testing errors and suboptimal reporting of results on the management of bloodstream infection...

..Additionally, surgical masks may prevent health care workers from inadvertent transmission of S aureus from their nares to patients' surgical sites...

..However, no studies to date have investigated carriage of MRSA among swine and swine farmers in the United States (U.S.)...

..difficile infection may not have had pneumonia. Excessive use of the hospital's new pneumonia care plan during the influenza season may have contributed to the intensity of this outbreak...

..Age <69 years was associated with an increased risk for invasive CA-MRSA infection (odds ratio [OR] 5.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.06-12.64), and hospital exposure was associated with decreased risk (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.51)...

....

..To determine the effect of a pandemic influenza preparedness drill on the rate of influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs)...

..0001) than did controls. CONCLUSIONS: Age, duration of bypass, and postoperative platelet count were associated with excessive bleeding. Hemorrhage after CABG surgery significantly increased the length of stay and cost of care...

..Molecular typing was an essential tool for evaluating the epidemiology of MRSA in this setting...

..This screening method was efficient, readily standardized, and suitable for most hospitals...

..Routine surveillance cultures can substantially improve prevalence and incidence estimates, and assessing the range of improvement across diverse units is important...

..In addition, many assessments underestimate the incidence of acquisition by including prevalent carriers in the at-risk population...

..Aggressive infection-control measures are often necessary to terminate these outbreaks. Such efforts are essential because MRSA infections in premature neonates can cause significant morbidity and mortality...

....

..Our survey demonstrated that two-thirds of identified CVCs were not in ICU patients and suggests that more efforts should be directed to patients with CVCs who are outside the ICU...

....