American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2009
Impact of revising the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System definition for catheter-related bloodstream infection in ICU: reproducibility of the National Healthcare Safety Network case definition in an Australian cohort of infection control professionals.
Effective and comparable surveillance for central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in the intensive care unit requires a reproducible case definition that can be readily applied by infection control professionals. ⋯ Further educational interventions are required to improve the discrimination of primary and secondary causes of bloodstream infection in Victorian intensive care units. Although reproducibility of the CLABSI case definition is relatively poor, adoption of the revised NHSN definition for CLABSI is likely to improve the concordance of Victorian data with international centers.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2009
Surveillance, control, and prevention of surgical site infections in breast cancer surgery: a 5-year experience.
We analyzed variations in surgical site infections (SSIs) during 5 years of a prospective surveillance program and investigated possible contributors to SSIs in a cohort of patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer. ⋯ After 5 years of a continuous prospective surveillance program, we were able to decrease the rate of SSIs in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery (from 33.3% in 2000 to 18.9% in 2005), identify SSI-associated risk factors, and improve the quality of care delivered to these patients.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2009
A fall in bloodstream infections followed a change to 2% chlorhexidine in 70% isopropanol for catheter connection antisepsis: a pediatric single center before/after study on a hemopoietic stem cell transplant ward.
Some catheter-related bloodstream infections originate from catheter connectors; therefore, improved antisepsis of these might be expected to reduce the incidence of such infections. ⋯ The introduction of chlorhexidine was followed by a profound, sustained fall in catheter-related infections. The results support the 2007 United Kingdom guidelines recommending 2% chlorhexidine in 70% isopropanol as a disinfectant of needleless connectors and hubs of central venous catheters.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2009
Ventilator-associated pneumonia and oral care: a successful quality improvement project.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a nosocomial pneumonia that develops in patients on mechanical ventilation for >or=48 hours. VAP develops at an estimated rate of 1% to 3% per day of mechanical ventilation. ⋯ The use of an oral care protocol intervention and ventilator bundle led to an 89.7% reduction in the VAP rate in mechanically ventilated patients from 2004 to 2007.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2009
Organizational climate and its relationship with needlestick and sharps injuries among Japanese nurses.
Although certain aspects of organizational climate have been shown to influence needlestick and sharps injuries (NSI) among nurses, this issue has not been adequately investigated in Japan. ⋯ Overall, this study suggests that hospital safety climate has an important influence on NSI injury rates and reporting behavior among Japanese nurses. Given the multifaceted nature of identified risk, a comprehensive approach to infection control is clearly required and one that encompasses preventive strategies in both the cultural and physical domains.