The Journal of infection
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The Journal of infection · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyEvaluation of ChloraPrep (2% chlorhexidine gluconate in 70% isopropyl alcohol) for skin antisepsis in preparation for blood culture collection.
Blood culture contamination is a significant adverse event. This study evaluated whether using ChloraPrep (2% alcoholic chlorhexidine) instead of 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes reduced contamination rates on two Medical Assessment Units (MAU1 and MAU2). ⋯ ChloraPrep skin antisepsis did not give a significant reduction in blood culture contamination, but education may have led to the trend to lower contamination.
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The Journal of infection · Dec 2008
The acquisition and outcome of ICU-acquired Clostridium difficile infection in a single centre in the UK.
The clinical course and outcome of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting have been reported in a small number of studies in the US and Canada. However, no such study has been reported in the UK. Therefore, we aimed to study the acquisition rate and outcome of ICU-acquired CDIs in our unit. ⋯ Patients admitted to the ICU have a moderate risk of acquiring CDI. There is a small increase in mortality observed in patients who acquired CDI in the ICU. Increasing age is an independent predictor associated with mortality.