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Undetected Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus in Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Richard A. Zuckerman ,
Lynn Steele ,
Richard A. Venezia  and
Ellis H. Tobin
Richard A. Zuckerman
Affiliation:
Albany Medical Center, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
Lynn Steele
Affiliation:
Albany Medical Center, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
Richard A. Venezia
Affiliation:
Albany Medical Center, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
Ellis H. Tobin*
Affiliation:
Albany Medical Center, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208
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Abstract

The rates of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) in a high-risk population were investigated prospectively using an active surveillance method. The costs of conducting active surveillance were calculated. Among the 10 patients found to have VRE, routine cultures identified 3 (30%); thus, 70% of the VRE-colonized patients would have gone undetected in the absence of active surveillance. The total cost for 5 weeks of active surveillance was $2,234. Although active surveillance identified a high rate of VRE-colonized patients who otherwise may not have been identified, it remains to be determined if the additional costs are justified and result in reduced transmission.

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 20 , Issue 10 , October 1999 , pp. 685 - 686
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1999

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