MRSA Infection

Simple scrubs become active barrier protection against MRSA

United States of America : Simple scrubs become active barrier protection - Textile News United States of America.

The use of Vestex fluid barrier / antimicrobial impregnated scrubs combined with good hand hygiene reduces the burden of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) on a new class of health care worker apparel and may play a role in decreasing the risk of MRSA transmission to patients, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) researchers.

XTIO2 FABRIC Show Potential in MRSA infection control

XTIO2 FABRIC with 99.999% Anti-Bacterial Power Featured at ISPBC Showcase in San Francisco City Hall - MarketWatch.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 03, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- International Self-Powered Building Council (ISPBC) showcased the most powerful anti-contagion fabric by XTIO2 INC at GoingGreen Silicon Valley. The event in San Francisco City Hall was organized by Tony Perkins (founder of Red Herring)/AlwaysOn and sponsored by Morgan Stanley, KPMG and Bridge Bank. The ISPBC showcase was hosted by Ray Rothrock from Venture Capital, and panel participants included Carrie Armel from Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency, Stanford University and Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar from Google. XTIO2 FABRIC offers the highest anti-bacterial efficacy of 99.999% (R6.08 under 1-hour) proven by SGS Food Laboratory tests against dangerous E.coli and MRSA bacteria. XTIO2 FABRIC's powerful anti-contagion function can be life-saving, protecting people in medical, sports, fashion, military, hospitality and public transportation fields. XTIO2 is an affordable product with a mass production method to coat various types of fabrics like uniforms, bedding, facemasks, underwear and medical gowns with long-lasting anti-germ benefits.

Doctors' and nurses' uniforms - bacteria hotspots

Doctors' and nurses' uniforms may harbor dangers bacteria - latimes.com.

Researchers from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem cultured three spots on the uniforms of 75 nurses and 60 physicians working in a 550-bed hospital. Potential pathogens (also known as infectious agents, or germs) were found on 63% of the uniforms, and antibiotic resistant bacteria were found on samples from 14% of nurses' uniforms and 6% of doctor's uniforms. Eight of those cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.

Read the whole article at the link above

N.Y. may ban germy doctor ties, lab coats

N.Y. may ban germy doctor ties, lab coats - UPI.com.

The New York Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit healthcare professionals from wearing neck ties or jewelry that may carry bacteria. State Sen. Jeffrey D. Klein, a Democrat, says the legislation will help establish a hygienic dress code for medical professionals. A 25-member advisory council made of experts appointed by the commissioner of health will be assigned with developing the codes.

Scrubs: Can hospital uniforms spread germs, disease?

Scrubs: Can hospital uniforms spread germs, disease? | Springfield News-Leader | News-Leader.com.

Scrubs are the uniform of health care workers. There are flowered scrubs, child-friendly scrubs for pediatric nurses with pictures of dogs, scrubs employees wear on different days of the week, even a "Grey's Anatomy" brand. But some health officials have questioned whether workers are spreading dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Clostridium difficile, which causes diarrhea, and MRSA, which can cause serious staph infections, by wearing scrubs outside hospitals.

Cotton textiles modified with citric acid effective against MRSA

Cotton textiles modified with citric acid as effic... [Croat Med J. 2011] - PubMed result.

Cotton fabric treated with Citric Acid and SHP showed significant antibacterial activity against MRSA (6.38 log10 treated by conventional drying and 6.46 log10 treated by microwave drying before washing, and 6.90 log10 and 7.86 log10, respectively, after 1 cycle of home domestic laundering washing [HDLW]). Antibacterial activity was also remarkable against S. aureus (4.25 log10 by conventional drying, 4.58 log10 by microwave drying) and against P. aeruginosa (1.93 log10 by conventional drying and 4.66 log10 by microwave drying). Antibacterial activity was reduced after 10 HDLW cycles but the compound was still effective. Conclusion. CA can be used both for the disposable (non-durable) materials (gowns, masks, and cuffs for blood pressure measurement) and the materials that require durability to laundering. The current protocols and initiatives in infection control could be improved by the use of antimicrobial agents applied on cotton carbohydrate polymer.

Doctors' coats cleared over MRSA scare?

Doctors' coats cleared over MRSA superbug scare that led to hospital ban | Mail Online.

Scientists in America, however, now claim that the long white coats are just as hygienic as short-sleeved uniforms. Researchers from the University of Colorado in Denver measured the amount of bacteria on the wrists of 100 doctors who were wearing either traditional white coats or newly-washed, short-sleeved uniforms. They found that, at the end of an eight-hour shift, there was no difference. And even though the white coats had not been washed as recently as the short-sleeved uniforms, they did not hold any more bacteria by the end of the day, the Journal of Hospital Medicine reported.

Surgical Attire, MRSA and Laundry Practices

Our Community - Forums | HAI Watchdog Community.

Although it has always recommended institution laundering of surgical attire, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) is unequivocal on this position in its newly revised Recommended Practices for Surgical Attire, due for release this month. In this recommended practice (RP), AORN is underscoring the science-based rationale for quality assurance monitoring of laundering practices, as well as taking a stand on other attire-related issues that compromise patient safety. AORN recommends that surgical attire should be laundered in a healthcare-accredited laundry facility, according to Recommendation V within the RP, and all recommendations for home laundering of surgical attire have been removed. This is the most significant change since 2005, when the Recommended Practices for Surgical Attire was first released. Like other recommendations in this updated RP, Recommendation V includes an expanded rationale section that cites literature and guidelines published since the previous version.

Air Passengers Fear MRSA from TSA Gloves

Air Passengers Fear Disease from TSA Gloves (CalorieLab Lab Notes).

Internet forum participants and Twitter members are expressing worries that latex gloves used by TSA staff while performing agressive pat-down searches may spread diseases like MRSA, herpes, ringworm, colds or infestations of bedbugs and lice. According to some air travelers, agents do not seem to be changing into new gloves or applying any sort of sanitizer between pat-downs. "Gloves are for [the TSA's] protection, not yours," complained a forum participant. Twitter member Paul Freeman commented, "Why aren't TSA screeners required to change gloves after each patdown? I'd love to know what's on there after an hour or so. Beyond gross." Another member urged travelers to insist that fresh gloves are used, calling on his fellow tweeters to "retweet" the plea to the CDC's Twitter channel.

Dangerous Germs Could Be Walking Out Of Hospitals

Dangerous Germs Could Be Walking Out Of Hospitals - Health News Story - WCVB Boston.

At the Galleria Food Court in the Longwood medical area, everywhere you look you see hospital workers wearing scrubs, white coats, stethoscopes, even surgical masks and caps. In some cases, these are the same scrubs that doctors and nurses wore while they treated patients. The scrubs can be contaminated by blood, vomit and feces. “You certainly can have contamination of clothing that's worn in the patient care setting,” said Dr. David Hooper, chief of infection control at Massachusetts General Hospital. The clothing can also be contaminated by what you can’t see: so-called superbugs that rage through hospitals, like multi-drug resistant MRSA and Clostridium Difficile, which causes extreme diarrhea. Both can be deadly. According to one study, more than 20 percent of nurses uniforms have C.Diff on them at the end of the shift. Connecticut researchers found that if a hospital worker entered a room where the patient had MRSA -- the bacteria ended up on the workers clothes 70 percent of the time -- even if they never touched the patient.

White coats for Doctors - Huge infection source

Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: Pig-Pen went to medical school.

There's another paper just recently published on contamination of white coats. This study from Nigeria cultured the white coats of 103 doctors. Pathogens were cultured from nearly half (48%) of the coats. Staph. aureus was found on 19% of the coats, Pseudomonas aeruginosa on 10%, and other gram-negative organisms were found on 19%. The authors of the paper made a number of recommendations regarding the white coat, including frequency of laundering. Unfortunately, they left out the most important one--just get rid of them!

Why infection control means no sitting on hospital beds

For these good reasons -- Hill 340: c1861 -- BMJ.

It is difficult to be sure which of the infection control measures introduced by hospitals are essential to maintain the recent reductions in meticillin resistant Staphylocoocus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias and Clostridium difficile infections. However, without stringent precautions, healthcare workers will pass such pathogens, and many others (coliforms producing extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL), norovirus), between patients. Going from one bed to another and sitting on it will efficiently transfer shed bacteria and sometimes viruses between patients through carriage on clothes. Healthcare wokers can be caring and compassionate and give sufficient time for explanations to patients without the need to sit on the bed: usually lack of time is the issue. A comprehensive drive to get staff to decontaminate hands before and after touching patients or contaminated surfaces is useless if they then sit on consecutive beds on a ward.1 One sided, sensationalist viewpoints do nothing to promote good infection control

Female Muslim doctors allowed to wear disposable sleeves for modesty

Female Muslim doctors allowed to wear disposable sleeves for modesty: official guidance - Telegraph.

New guidance from the Department of Health said staff can wear disposable sleeves which are elasticated at the wrist and elbow when in contact with patients. The guidance also states that using alcohol gel to cleanse hands between treating patients does not contravene strict Muslim rules on alcohol. The guidance was drawn up following meetings between the Muslim Spiritual Care Provision in the NHS group and Islamic scholars, chaplains, multi-faith representatives and infection control experts.

More on contaminated neckties

Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: More on contaminated neckties.

A new study from Ireland of 95 doctor's ties found that 18% had pathogens recovered when cultured. S. aureus was recovered from 10 ties (8 of the isolates were methicillin resistant).  81% reported they would be happy not to wear a tie.

The well-dressed surgeon and infection prevention

Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: The well-dressed surgeon.

AORN, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, has developed new draft guidelines on surgical attire available for public comment.  Some highlights: * Fresh scrubs are to be donned on entry or re-entry to the OR * Hands should be washed prior to donning scrubs * Surgical scrubs should not be laundered at home (believe it or not, some hospitals do not currently provide laundered scrubs to OR personnel as a cost-savings measure) * All undergarments must be covered by the scrubs (e.g., no crew neck t-shirt or turtleneck with v-neck scrubs) * Shoes with holes on the tops or sides (i.e., traditional Crocs) are not permitted

Banning White Coats, Ties and Long Sleeve Shirts to Thwart Hospital Infection

Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: Action Threshold: Banning White Coats, Ties and Long Sleeve Shirts.

There has been debate among hospital epidemiologists whether to ban white coats, ties and long sleeve shirts in order to reduce transmission of MDR-bacteria in healthcare settings. One of the arguments used against banning certain elements of physician attire is that there isn't enough data to prove that transmission occurs from said attire to patient. Of course there aren't any randomized trials showing that banning white coats reduces MRSA transmission, but is this a fair argument? I don't think it is and my reasoning has to do with a concept called action threshold that physicians use when making decisions, but rarely discuss.

Are uniforms MRSA free?

Biomed Middle East » Ineffective laundering mechanism of surgical scrubs: Potential source of healthcare-acquired infections. Biomed Middle East.

The matter of concern, however, is that sometimes uniforms “enter” healthcare facilities already contaminated. A study found that 39 percent of healthcare workers’ uniforms tested were positive for VRE, MRSA, and C. difficile at the start of shift. These findings certainly suggest that the laundering mechanism is potentially failing to achieve uniform decontamination. The subject of where and how surgical attire is laundered becomes an extremely important issue. A survey of healthcare staff in the UK’s NHS trust revealed that 90 percent of that staff took responsibility for the laundering of their uniforms.There have been several studies which have raised troubling questions about the safety and efficacy of the home-laundering of surgical attire. A study of the typical home-laundering process (wash cycle with detergent alone, rinse cycle and a 28-minute permanent press drying cycle) revealed that significant concentrations of viruses (adenovirus, rotavirus, and hepatitis A virus) survived the process and could also be transferred to uncontaminated garments.Other studies have documented the presence of Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Clostridium difficile on home-laundered uniforms, suggesting the inadequacy of the home-laundering process in eradicating these organisms.

Neckties an infection hotspot?

Nothing to Sneeze At: Doctors' Neckties Seen as Flu Risk - WSJ.com.

The list of things to avoid during flu season includes crowded buses, hospitals and handshakes. Consider adding this: your doctor's necktie. Neckties are rarely, if ever, cleaned. When a patient is seated on the examining table, doctors' ties often dangle perilously close to sneeze level. In recent years, a debate has emerged in the medical community over whether they harbor dangerous germs. Several hospitals have proposed banning them outright. Some veteran doctors suspect the antinecktie campaign has more to do with younger physicians' desire to dress casually than it does with modern medicine. At least one tie maker is pushing a compromise solution: neckwear with an antimicrobial coating.

What should doctors wear?

Link: What should doctors wear? -- Turaga and Bhagavatula 337 (243): a938 -- BMJ.

Clostridium difficile and meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have shifted the focus of infection prevention from the specialists in infectious diseases to the wider public realm. The attire of physicians and surgeons is being posited as a carrier of these infections, and politicians are calling for doctors’ clothing to be changed as a measure to fight the spread of infection. Last September’s move by the UK health secretary, Alan Johnson, to get rid of the long sleeved white coat raised many eyebrows (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6998195.stm). A few studies have shown the white coat to be a carrier of bacteria, although the quality of the evidence is low. Cultures grown from samples taken from medical students’ coats have shown bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, especially on the sleeves and in the pockets.1 But, as can be expected, similar cultures could be obtained from scrubs or even street clothes

Hospital doctors in short sleeves halve infection rates

Link: BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Hospital doctors in short sleeves.

Doctors no longer wear white coats at a hospital, as part of a drive to reduce the spread of infections. The scheme, trialled at Torbay Hospital in Devon for 18 months, is expected to be rolled out across the UK by the NHS. Doctors and all clinical staff are not allowed to wear anything on their arms below the elbow to enable them to wash their hands more efficiently. Bosses said the regime has contributed to a 50% cut in MRSA rates and a 60% reduction in Clostridium difficile. There has also been a 60% reduction in the number of cases of over the past 12 months.