MRSA, Staph, Staff, Mersa, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Symptoms & Treatment

Cannula care to cut MRSA by one third

Link: Channel 4 - News - NHS trust claims MRSA elimination.

This means that doctors use the tube only when absolutely necessary and are able to monitor them closely for signs of infection. The cannulae are prescribed only by specialists trained in their insertion and they are signed off by a doctor. Once in, the cannula is flushed with a saline solution and inspected on a daily basis. A scorecard is then used to regularly rate its appearance and spot any irregularities or signs of infection. In 2007/08, the Trust had 11 MRSA bloodstream infections - one under the maximum level of 12 the Government says is acceptable for it. Four of these cases were believed to have been cannula-related. But since the introduction of the new system in November, there have been no new cases of MRSA at the Trust, which runs the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and the Andover War Memorial Hospital. The Trust believes that if the same practice was adopted nationwide by the NHS, MRSA levels would drop dramatically.

Hospital Winning Mrsa Fight by attention to cannula hygiene

Link: Hospital Winning Mrsa Fight (from Hampshire Chronicle).

WINCHESTER'S Royal Hampshire County Hospital claims it has discovered a new way to help fight the spread of hospital infections. A doctor and nursing sister at the Romsey Road hospital have found a "simple" way to cut MRSA rates, which could have national implications. Since a change in policy was introduced at the hospital six months ago, there have been no new cases of the deadly superbug. advertisement Now Dr Chris Gordon, consultant physician and divisional director of medicine at Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, believes it could slash infection rates and save lives in hospitals across the UK. It involves better management of what is called a cannula, a thin tube inserted by needle under the skin to administer intravenous fluids.

New keyboards to be 70% less infective

Link: NHS cleans up keyboard act - Public Sector - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com.

The NHS is introducing 7,500 infection-resistant keyboards in hospitals across England as part of efforts to make hospitals cleaner and safer. The keyboards have been developed by University College London Hospital in a pilot supported by the Department of Health tech agency, Connecting for Health. The devices are completely flat to avoid collecting debris that often harbour infections and are covered with a hypoallergenic material which is resistant to bug growth. The keyboards also have a warning light to alert users when they haven't been cleaned for a certain time. This period is adjustable depending on the environment. This light only goes out once sensors on the device are satisfied it has been sufficiently cleaned. UCLH microbiologists have found the new tech can lead to a 70 per cent fall in bacteria levels on keyboards if they are properly cleaned every 12 hours.

Developing hygenic hardware for hospitals

Link: Developing hygenic hardware | Technology | The Guardian.

Five years in to the world's largest civil computerisation programme, the NHS in England is waking up to the danger of computers creating fast lanes for hospital infections. The IT agency NHS Connecting for Health has just spent £1m on custom-designed PC keyboards that are not only cleanable, but encourages users to clean them. The snag is that the deal covers only 1% of the NHS's keyboards. A quick inspection of any keyboard shows how they collect muck. In an office, it's disgusting; in hospitals, it's potentially lethal. Dr Peter Wilson, a consultant microbiologist at University College Hospital, London, says that studies have found up to a quarter of keyboards in wards are contaminated with MRSA and other pathogens. Vital signs The danger arises from the way the NHS shares computers, he says. A nurse taking blood pressure and other vital signs will enter them on the keyboard directly after touching the patient. "She doesn't wash her hands between patient and keyboard, because she's not touching any other patients." However a doctor making a ward rounds will later touch the keyboard to check data - and then move on to the next patient. "That's how an infection can go round the entire ward," Wilson says.

Hospitals will have to pay for preventable infections

Link: CMS Regulations To Be Addressed At APIC Conference.

Beginning October 1, 2008, CMS will no longer reimburse hospitals for costs related to eight preventable conditions, including three HAIs: catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs), catheter-associated blood stream infections, and mediastinitis (a deep infection following coronary artery bypass surgery). The APIC conference will present information on how leading institutions are managing the clinical and economic impact of the new HAI regulations and practical strategies to assist facilities with compliance. "We see this as an important opportunity to help clinical and administrative leaders work together to reduce infection, improve outcomes and preserve healthcare resources," said APIC Chief Executive Officer Kathy L. Warye. "The conference will offer the most current information from CMS, as well as best practices and ways of approaching quality improvement to achieve reductions in HAIs."

Minocycline/Rifampin Catheters Shown To Reduce Microbial Resistance

Link: Minocycline/Rifampin Catheters Shown To Reduce Microbial Resistance.

In a study that confirms the critical role antibiotic-impregnated catheters can play to combat the significant worldwide death toll from catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs), a researcher from a world-renowned medical center has presented clinical evidence that these devices, in fact, reduce the risk of bacteremia and also the likelihood that bacteria could become resistant to the antibiotics used to prevent their colonization. Previously, some medical researchers had expressed concern that the use of these devices could promote antimicrobial resistance. On April 8, 2008 at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America's (SHEA) 18th Annual Scientific Conference, Issam I. Raad, M.D., an infectious disease physician at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, presented data demonstrating that after seven years of extensive use of a central venous catheter impregnated with minocycline and rifampin the rate of microbial resistance to minocycline and rifampin actually decreased after use of these catheters.

Anti MRSA Curtains Welcomed

Link: Welcome to Kent Online.

A DARTFORD community hospital is the first to receive disposable curtains which are resistant to MRSA. Livingstone Hospital in East Hill, Dartford, is the first of the West Kent Primary Care Trust's six community hospitals to have its wards kitted out with the new MRSA-resistant curtains. The curtains are disposable, water-resistant, flame-retardant and covered with an anti-microbial substance. Livingstone Hospital's modern matron Martin Warnette said: "The curtains have been quite a hit with patients and staff. "Apart from their MRSA-fighting qualities, they're easy to handle and really brighten up the wards."

Superbugs thwarted by MRSA-resistant patient wristbands

Link: Superbugs thwarted by MRSA-resistant patient wristbands - Express Pharma.

Zebra Technologies, has recently added two new infant wristbands to its offering, both with the latest antibacterial coating. The coating also protects the Z-Band wristbands from Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, three leading causes of hospital infections. As a global leader in delivering on-demand specialty printing solutions for the healthcare industry, Zebra Technologies provides thermal bar code label and receipt printers and supplies, plastic card printers, RFID smart label printer/encoders, certified smart media, and digital photo printers. "Barcoded patient identification wristbands provide the necessary foundation for preventing medical errors by making accurate patient information available at the point of care and enabling caregivers to confirm a correct match between the patient and the treatment provided," said Aileen McHugh, Healthcare Manager, Zebra Technologies EMEA. "With Zebra's antimicrobial wristband coating, hospitals can extend these benefits further by eliminating dangerous, infection causing bacteria from the wristbands." According to a company note, results of independent lab tests at Northland Laboratories in the US show Zebra's patent-pending antimicrobial wristband coating effectively resists methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Type II, Type III and Type IV, making it even more difficult for MRSA and other superbugs to spread around a hospital.

Anti MRSA Waste Bin Available to Hospitals

Link: Waste Bin Group In Good Health (from The Herald ).

Environmental Hygiene Products also distributes to janitorial suppliers, nursing homes and private hospitals worldwide. The company's healthcare range, manufactured exclusively in Tain, has been developed for the purpose of fighting MRSA. It has the option of an anti-microbial coating which helps stop the spread of such bacteria.

Biocote has silver lining to MRSA cloud over NHS

Link: Biocote has silver lining to MRSA cloud over NHS - Birmingham Post.

A Wolverhampton company is hoping its range of anti-superbug silver coatings will take off in Midlands hospitals looking to wipe out deadly diseases like MRSA. BioCote, based on Wolverhampton Science Park, has developed a way to incorporate silver - which is a natural antibacterial agent - into the surfaces of furniture and equipment. It claims recent research shows this can reduce levels of bacteria by up to 96 per cent in hospital environments. And it has now set up a panel of scientific experts to look into the antibacterial powers of silver, and how it can be used to fight superbugs. Silver kills bacteria like MRSA on contact by destroying its ability to reproduce.