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  • Joint Commission Revises IC Devices Standard

    The changes generally add more detailed instructions for surveyors, focus on the highest risk to patients, and note that the hang time of endoscopes will not be assessed anymore as an infection control requirement.
  • ‘Why the Foley?’ Initiative Grabs Attention, Prevents CAUTIs

    Not everyone was pleased with the provocative acronym, but an infection preventionist’s “Why the Foley?” campaign captured attention and dramatically reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
  • SHEA: Avoid Routine Testing for C. diff in the NICU

    In contrast to adult patients, infants under 12 months rarely develop C. diff infection but can be frequently colonized. A positive test may reveal colonization that poses little threat of disease or subsequent transmission, possibly triggering unnecessary treatment and unneeded isolation measures, warns the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America in a new whitepaper.

  • Staffing Woes: IP-Hospital Beds Ratio Outdated

    Infection prevention staffing needs can vary widely by facilities, but in the absence of an analysis of the actual duties and labor required, many hospitals still rely on outdated IP-patient bed ratios.
  • Outcasts: HAIs Stigmatize Discharged Patients

    Some patients infected or colonized with MRSA and other multidrug-resistant organisms report feeling stigmatized, comparing their plight to historical outcasts like lepers and plague victims.
  • Syncope

    Relying on the most current literature, this article discusses the causes of syncope and syncope mimics, provides the best practice evaluation strategies, and will refamiliarize emergency physicians with current state-of-the-art practices regarding syncope risk stratification guidelines.

  • Infectious Disease Alert Updates

    Pet Snake Snacks: A Salmonella Treat; Linking HIV-positive Inmates to Outpatient Care

  • Prophylactic Antibiotics for Acute Aspiration

    Researchers compared outcomes in patients with aspiration pneumonitis who received prophylactic antibiotics during the first two days after macro-aspiration to patients who received only supportive care during this time. Among the 200 patients meeting the acute aspiration pneumonitis case definition, antimicrobial prophylaxis was not associated with improvement in mortality. However, patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics required more frequent escalation of antibiotics and received more days of antibiotics than those who were managed initially with supportive care alone.

  • Oral Vancomycin Is the Most Cost-effective Treatment for the First Recurrence of Clostridium Difficile Infection

    The authors of a pharmacoeconomic study comparing bezlotoxumab plus oral vancomycin, oral vancomycin alone, and fidaxomicin found that oral vancomycin alone was the most cost-effective regimen to treat the first recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection.

  • Infections Associated With Travel to the United States

    Infectious illness is common in travelers from other countries visiting the United States. Skin and soft tissue infections, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal illness are most likely, but specific geographic illnesses such as Lyme disease also occur.