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Potentially fatal bacterial infections following platelet transfusions are flying below the infection control radar. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently drew attention to the problem by reporting two fatal infections following transfusions and noting that infectious disease physicians have a surprising lack of awareness about the problem.
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The new mindset of zero infection rates generally is considered more of a goal than a practical reality, an unattainable threshold meant to shake the complacency and comfort of some longstanding benchmark range. On the contrary, some infection control professionals are taking it literally. For certain infections on certain units, target zero is being obtained.
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To underscore the risks of fatal bacterial infection following platelet transfusions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published these two case reports.
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It is critical that clinicians are aware of the problem of bacterial contamination of blood components, particularly platelets, and consider the possibility of bacterial contamination when investigating transfusion reactions, the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) is urging.
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No evidence was found of nosocomial transmission of H5N1 avian influenza among 83 health care workers with exposure to case patients in Vietnam, researchers reported.
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Is your state next? Laws requiring disclosure of individual hospital infection rates are sweeping the nation. Four states Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, and Missouri have passed infection rate disclosure laws, and 20 others have introduced bills.
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CPAP may decrease the incidence of endotracheal intubation and other severe complications in patients who develop hypoxemia after elective major abdominal surgery.
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Over the last decade there has been a growing trend from an open to a closed model of ICU care delivery. The open model is an ICU where day-to-day management decisions are made by an admitting physician with the assistance of consultants. The admitting physician may be any member of the medical staff and need not necessarily have any particular expertise in the provision of critical care services.
