Journal of Hospital Infection

INTRODUCTION: Patients receiving maintenance haemodialysis are at risk of catheter-related infections. Up to now, there has been no standardized surveillance tool in Germany to evaluate infection events in haemodialysis outpatients. We aimed to implement an online-based surveillance tool in outpatient dialysis facilities and to report the first national surveillance data for haemodialysis patients in Germany from October 2019 until September 2021. METHODS: Outpatient dialysis facilities reported three types of dialysis-associated infection events (DAIE) (bloodstream infection, intravenous antimicrobial start, and local access-site infection)...

BACKGROUND: French guidelines for the prevention of vascular access infections in a haemodialysis setting were released in 2005. Compliance with these guidelines is currently unknown. Our aim was to assess compliance with guidelines for vascular access infection prevention in French haemodialysis units, and to describe the difficulties reported. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and December 2019 in 200 haemodialysis units randomly selected in France...

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) cause many infections in the healthcare context. Knowledge about the epidemiology and burden of VRE infections, however, remains fragmented. We aimed to summarize recent studies on VRE epidemiology and outcomes in hospitals, long-term care facilities (LTCF) and nursing homes worldwide based on current epidemiological reports. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for observational studies, which reported on VRE faecium and faecalis infections in in-patients published between January 2014 - December 2020...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of fascial closure using antimicrobial-sutures specifically for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSI) in gastrointestinal surgery, as part of the revision of the SSI prevention guidelines of the Japanese Society of Surgical Infectious Diseases (JSSI). METHODS: We searched the CENTRAL, PubMed, and ICHUSHI-Web in May 2023, and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing antimicrobial-coated and non-coated sutures for fascial closure in gastrointestinal surgery (PROSPERO No...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematical models have been widely used to inform public health recommendations regarding COVID-19 control in healthcare settings. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review SARS-CoV-2 transmission models in healthcare settings, and summarize their contributions to understanding nosocomial COVID-19. METHODS: Systematic search and review. DATA SOURCES: Published articles indexed in PubMed...

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance aims to facilitate a reduction in SSIs through identifying infection rates, benchmarking, triggering clinical review and instituting infection control measures. Participation in surveillance is, however, variable suggesting opportunities to improve wider adoption. AIM: To gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators for SSI surveillance in a high-income European setting. METHODS: Key informant interviews with 16 surveillance staff, infection prevention staff, nurses and surgeons from nine cardiac hospitals in England...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) and infectious agents exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are challenges globally. Environmental patient-facing wastewater apparatus including handwashing sinks, showers and toilets are increasingly identified as sources of infectious agents and AMR genes. We performed large-scale metagenomic analysis of the wastewater system in a large teaching hospital in the Republic of Ireland experiencing multidrug-resistant HAI outbreaks. Immediately prior to refurbishment of a medical ward where HAI has been endemic, wastewater pipe sections (n=20) were removed...

BACKGROUND: Different isolation measures are required according to routes of transmission of the pathogen. Few studies have compared different forms of hygiene training in terms of efficiency orand improvement of perception towards hygiene measures. We aimed to evaluate the benefits of different forms of isolation training in the operation room as well as their respective effect on the perception of the measures by comparing simulation training to video-based education. METHODS: This was a multicentre, prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing hygiene knowledge, and psychological safety as well as the perception of the training among HCWs after in-centre simulations and conventional video-based education...

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous nephrostomy catheters (PCNs) are commonly utilized in patients with gynaecological cancers due to intrinsic or extrinsic urinary obstruction. Unfortunately, these foreign medical devices can be associated with several infectious complications, including: pyelonephritis, renal abscess, and bacteremia, which may lead to further delay of life-saving cancer therapy. AIM: To evaluate the performance of our multidisciplinary algorithm for diagnosis and treatment of PCN-related infections (PCNIs) and identify risk factors for recurrent urinary device-related infections...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The microbicidal efficacy of hand sanitiser formulations is usually measured through standardized quantitative suspension tests and fingerpad tests; these cannot evaluate long-lasting formulations or are impractical due to biological risks, high cost, or time required for testing. With increased numbers of long-lasting microbicidal activity claims of commercially available hand sanitisers, alternative testing strategies are required. AIM: To explore the use of a standardized ex-vivo pig skin model to reproducibly measure long-lasting efficacy of an alcohol-free hand sanitiser formulation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This is a report on an outbreak of Panton-Valentine leucocidin producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PVL MRSA) in an intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected seven patients and a member of staff. Six patients were infected over a period of ten months on intensive care unit by the same strain of PVL MRSA, and a historic case identified outside of the intensive care unit. All cases were linked to a healthcare worker (HCW) who was colonised with the organism. Failed topical decolonisation therapy, without systemic antibiotic therapy, resulted in ongoing transmission and one preventable acquisition of PVL MRSA...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

To carry out indication-based hand rub, availability of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at positions adapted to the workflow of healthcare workers (HCW) is decisive. Although requirements and guidelines regarding positioning of ABHR dispensers are in place, scientific evidence is often lacking. To analyse the impact of location and number of ABHR dispensers on hand hygiene performance, additional dispensers were systematically placed in patient rooms in a surgical 38 bed ward at Marburg University Hospital, Germany, to complement the existing dispenser locations; ABHR use was continuously monitored before and after complementation using the NosoEx hand hygiene monitoring system (GWA Hygiene, Stralsund, Germany)...

BACKGROUND: With the persistent threat of emerging infectious diseases (EID), digital contact tracing (CT) tools can augment conventional CT for the prevention of healthcare-associated infectious disease transmissions. However, their performance has yet to be comprehensively evaluated in the fast-paced emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE: We compared the CT performance of the radiofrequency identification (RFID) based real time location system (RTLS) with conventional Electronic Medical Records (EMR review), against continuous direct observations of close contacts ("gold-standard") in a busy ED during pandemic period...

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems have been developed for different settings. However, there is a lack of up-to-date evidence providing concrete recommendations for the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems of an isolation room, which is essential to appropriately guide infection control policies. This scoping review aimed to highlight the guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in isolation rooms to inform relevant stakeholders and policymakers...