The following are recent developments in infection control as covered on Becker's Hospital Review and Becker's ASC Review in the past two weeks, starting with the most recent.
1. Exposure to beta-lactam antibioitics increases the Clostridium difficile risk for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia according to the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
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2. Cloth surgical gowns had four times the bacterial contamination levels of paper surgical gowns, according to research in Annals of Surgery.
3. Certain strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are more effective at colonizing healthcare workers than others, according to research published in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.
4. Hawaii has the lowest ratio of standardized infections, while Alaska experiences the highest ratio, according to data from Hospital Compare.
5. The USA300 strain of MRSA is one of the most common strains of bloodstream infection-causing MRSA, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
6. Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine-impregnated venous catheters may lead to fewer catheter-related blood stream infections, according to a study in American Journal of Infection Control.
7. Stethoscopes may be more contaminated with MRSA than parts of physicians' hands, according to a study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
8. Adult inpatients play a role in transmitting vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus to neonatal intensive care units, according to data from the St. Jude-Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Conference covered by Healio.
9. Children who received a live measles-mumps-rubella vaccine after a flu shot are less likely to be admitted to a hospital for any infection than children who did not receive an MMR vaccine, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
10. Electronic safety checklists were associated with a three-fold drop central line-associated bloodstream infections, according to research published in Pediatrics.