MRSA Strategy in ICU Cuts All Infections
By Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
Published: October 18, 2012
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner
SAN DIEGO – Bathing all patients in the ICU with antibacterial agents rather than simply screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reduced all bloodstream infections by more than 40%, researchers said here.
In a study conducted at 43 hospitals, universal treatment – without screening – cut MRSA colonization by 37% and resulted in a 44% reduction in all bloodstream infections, said Susan Huang, MD, MPH, associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
That compared with essentially no difference in reduction of infections when patients were given the standard-of-care treatment of screening and isolation, Huang said at a press briefing during IDWeek 2012.
Huang also said that universal treatment without screening proved more effective than screening, followed by washing patients with chlorhexidine and using mupirocin to decolonize MRSA in the nose. That strategy was 22% better than the standard of care , but universal treatment was better than screening first then treating ), she said.
"I am pleased to say that on the basis of this study, Hospital Corporation of America has adopted the universal strategy for treating patients in ICU at their 160 facilities," Huang told MedPage Today.
"This study is compelling enough to change standard practice of screening and isolation," briefing moderator Daniel Diekema, MD, professor of medicine and director of infectious diseases at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, told MedPage Today. He was not involved in the study.
Huang noted, "This trial provides strong evidence that removing bacteria from the skin and nose is highly effective at preventing serious infection in high-risk ICU patients.
Article Concluded: Med Page Today
