ICCS Infection Prevention & Infection Control Newsletter: November 2019 (1st Half)
This issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter covers news from the first half of November. Topics include antibiotic resistance, SSIs, lethal infections, probiotics, obesity and measles.
Note: Catch up on news you may have missed from the latter half of October here.
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CDC Issues 2nd Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report: 12 Key Takeaways — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its second "Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States" report and there are a number of significant issues raised.
Surgical Site Infections Linked to Increased Mortality, Study Finds — The results of a study show that patients with a surgical site infection (SSI) are more likely to experience increases in mortality and long-term infection risk.
Infection That Killed Infants at PA Hospital Linked to Breast Milk Equipment — The source of bacteria that killed three infants at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., was equipment used to measure and administer donor breast milk.
Study: Probiotics Linked to Bloodstream Infections in ICU Patients — The results of a study indicated that the use of probiotics in intensive care units (ICU) can cause bloodstream infections.
More Seattle Children's Surgical Patients Contract Infections — Another surgical patient at Washington's Seattle Children's has contracted an infection from the presence of Aspergillus mold. The hospital has struggled to contain the fungus.
ICYMI: 10 of the Scariest Healthcare Infections and Threats (ICCS Special Report) — In the spirit of Halloween, the team of ICCS consultants shared 10 of their scariest healthcare infections and threats.
Elevated infection risk remains following treatment for obesity — Obesity is associated with an elevated risk for infection, but treating obesity with either standard medical therapies or bariatric surgery does not seem to mitigate that risk.
Fecal transplants work better than antibiotics to treat deadly bacterial infection — Fecal transplants are more likely than antibiotics to save lives and prevent deadly bloodstream infections in patients sickened by Clostridium difficile, a study found.
Children's Immune Systems At Risk Without Measles Vaccine — A group of researchers said that children who have not had a vaccine for measles are at risk from damaged immune systems.
Study Finds No Surgical Infection Risk From TNF Inhibitors — Patients undergoing surgery with detectable levels of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor are not at increased risk for postoperative infection, according to one of the largest prospective studies to address this issue.
Statins Tied to Risk of Skin Infections — People taking statins to lower cholesterol are at increased risk of developing staph skin infections.
CDC Reports 11 New Measles Cases, National Total at 1,261 — That's the most in any year since 1992.
CDC Kicks Off U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019 — During this annual one-week observance (November 18-24), CDC encourages spreading the word about the importance of improving antibiotic prescribing.
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