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Petussis outbreaks among health care workers are of special concern because of the risk for transmission to vulnerable patients. Last year, the CDC detailed pertussis outbreaks among health care workers and patients that included hospital outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Oregon.1 The outbreaks, which occurred before the availability of the new pertussis vaccine, are summarized below to underscore the disruptive nature of nosocomial pertussis outbreaks.
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Hardier and more virulent than traditional nosocomial strains, community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) now appears to be laying claim to the hospital.
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Infection control professionals adopting policies requiring workers to sign declination statements if they forgo influenza vaccination can expect to run into a persistent group of refuseniks with varied reasons for their recalcitrance.
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A proposed infection rate disclosure law in Connecticut focuses mistakenly on counting infections, rather than holding hospitals accountable for implementing strategies to prevent them, a representative of the state hospital association recently testified.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, is concerned that some hospitals are spending too much to comply with the facilities requirements of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter <797>, Pharmaceutical Compounding: Sterile Preparations.
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Health care practitioners may currently favor the use of corticosteroids in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially in the setting of sepsis and relative adrenal insufficiency.
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Steroids taken with protease inhibitors linked to complications; HHS agencies announce initiative to improve cancer therapy; Bayer, FDA warn of administration errors for nimodipine (Nimotop); Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia linked to gatifloxacin (Tequin) use; Bosentan label revised to include liver function monitoring; Study of natalizumab-treated patients shows no new PML cases
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These drugs were recently approved by the FDA:
Anidulafungin (Eraxis) by Pfizer. The FDA has approved anidulafungin (Eraxis) to treat certain infections caused by Candida, a yeast-like fungus that can cause serious infections in hospitalized patients or patients with compromised immune systems.
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Trial 1: Buse JB, Henry RR, Han J, et al. Effects of exenatide (Exendin-4) on glycemic control over 30 weeks in sulfonylurea-treated patients with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2004;27:2,628-2,635.
