Search Tag: infection control
2020 08 Jul
One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the delivery of mass critical care. SARS-CoV-2 has put a significant strain on intensive care in most countries across the globe. This has become even more of a challenge because of a lack of staff and essential supplies. It is evident that in order to better cope with such a challenging...Read more
2020 16 May
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now a global pandemic, and almost every country is facing problems on how to prevent its spread. While the majority of patients with COVID-19 can recover as outpatients, a significant number require admission to the ICU for more aggressive medical care. The ICU is vulnerable to contamination with organisms, and...Read more
2020 24 Mar
The Current Situation and Challenge of COVID-19 Over 170,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The number of confirmed cases outside the Chinese mainland has already reached over 90,000. On March 11th, WHO officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. No doubt that mechanical ventilation is one of the most effective therapy strategies...Read more
2019 12 Sep
ICUs in the UK have seen an 80% drop in bloodstream infections according to NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre-funded research. In collaboration with Guy's and St Thomas' clinicians and researchers from ICNARC (Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre), the study analysed 1 million adult patients from 276 NHS ICUs across the...Read more
2019 19 Jul
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become an established tool for the rapid assessment and diagnosis of patients across a variety of medical disciplines, not least in the high-octane environment of intensive care medicine. Dr. Timm Steuber, senior consultant and head of the ICU at Evangelisches Krankenhaus Unna, Germany, discusses his day-to-day...Read more
2016 13 Sep
In-line Proxima blood gas analyser maintains isolation and reduces blood handling Operating as a closed system, the Proxima in-line blood gas monitoring system keeps infection control simple and effective Sphere Medical , an innovative company in critical care monitoring and diagnostics equipment, announces that it will be discussing...Read more
2016 28 Mar
A combination of strict antimicrobial stewardship and comprehensive infection control measures led to a 10-fold reduction in multi-drug resistant (MDR) A. Baumannii that had become endemic in a Korean intensive care unit (ICU). The initative is described in a recent paper in the Korean Journal of Internal Medicine . Shinhye Cheon, Division...Read more
2016 01 Feb
Joint US-Chile research has confirmed copper as an additional weapon in the fight against healthcare-associated infections, demonstrating its efficacy in a major paediatric hospital where it contributed to a safer environment for vulnerable patients. The spread of infections via frequently-touched surfaces surrounding patients is a serious concern...Read more
2015 19 Oct
New research reveals that invasive methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) infection (MSSA) caused more infections and more deaths in hospitalised infants than invasive methicillin-resistant S aureus infection (MRSA). The findings, reported in JAMA Pediatrics , could help to inform the adoption of infection control measures that include...Read more
2015 21 Jul
The Chicago Ebola Response Network's (CERN) response to the Ebola epidemic in 2014-2015 has provided a roadmap for how a regional public health network can anticipate and manage public health emergencies, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases . CERN — composed of Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago...Read more
2015 05 Jan
According to the editors of the American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC), the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa offers insight as to how healthcare professionals could respond more effectively to current and future healthcare challenges. Cindy Munro, RN, PhD, ANP and Richard H. Savel, MD, the two Editors-in-Chief at AJCC review and reflect...Read more
2014 05 Aug
A recent research published in Infection and Immunity talks about an experimental vaccine that was able to protect 100% of animal models against Clostridium difficile, a highly infectious and virulent bacterium. This bacterium causes an intestinal disease that kills nearly 30,000 Americans annually. C-difficile associated disease (CDAD) is caused...Read more
2014 13 May
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new survey data stating around 30 percent of critically ill patients cared for in intensive care units will contract a healthcare-associated infection. According to the findings, the number of those infections resistant to antibiotic treatment is on the rise. With at least seven...Read more
2014 30 Jan
According to a new study, the largest of its kind, U.S. hospital intensive care units (ICUs) show uneven compliance with infection prevention policies. The findings are published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC),...Read more