Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
  4. Volume 20
Journal Home
Refine listing

Refine listing

Access:
Publication date:

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×
< Back to all issues

Volume 20 - March 1999

Contents

Page 1 of 18

Letters to the Editor

Editorial

  • Not Just Another Guideline
  • James T. Lee
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 231-232
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Letters to the Editor

  • Being Wired for a Year
  • Steven J. Schweon
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, p. 299
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation
  • Patient Injury From Flash-Sterilized Instruments
  • William A. Rutala, David J. Weber, Kathryn J. Chappell
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, p. 458
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Editorial

  • Infection Surveillance and Control and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
  • James T. Lee
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 788-790
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Letters to the Editor

  • Caveats Regarding the Use of Control Charts
  • James C. Benneyan
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, p. 526
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Editorial

  • The Epidemiology and Control of VRE: Still Struggling to Come of Age
  • C. Glen Mayhall
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 650-652
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Letters to the Editor

Original Articles

  • Control of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci at a Community Hospital: Efficacy of Patient and Staff Cohorting
  • Elise M. Jochimsen, Laurie Fish, Kelly Manning, Sally Young, Daniel A. Singer, Robert Baker, William R. Jarvis
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 106-109
  • View abstract
    Objective:

    To evaluate the efficacy of patient and staff cohorting to control vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at an Indianapolis community hospital.

    Design:

    To interrupt transmission of VRE, a VRE point-prevalence survey of hospital inpatients was conducted, and VRE-infected or -colonized patients were cohorted on a single ward with dedicated nursing staff and patient-care equipment. To assess the impact of the intervention, staff compliance with contact isolation procedures was observed, and the VRE point-prevalence survey was repeated 2 months after the cohort ward was established.

    Results:

    Following the establishment of the cohort ward, VRE prevalence among all hospitalized inpatients decreased from 8.1% to 4.7% (25 positive cultures among 310 patients compared to 13 positive cultures among 276 patients, P=.14); VRE prevalence among patients whose VRE status was unknown before cultures were obtained decreased from 5.9% to 0.8% (18 positive cultures among 303 patients compared to 2 positive cultures among 262 patients, P=.002); and observed staff-patient interactions compliant with published isolation recommendations increased (5 [22%] of 23 interactions compared to 36 [88%] of 41 interactions, P<.0001).

    Conclusions:

    Our data suggest that, in hospitals with endemic VRE or continued VRE transmission despite implementation of contact isolation measures, establishing a VRE cohort ward may be a practical and effective method to improve compliance with infection control measures and thereby to control epidemic or endemic VRE transmission.

Editorial

  • The Price of a Surgical-Site Infection: More Than Just Excess Length of Stay
  • Edward S. Wong
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 722-724
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Letters to the Editor

Original Articles

  • Molecular Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: A 2-Year Perspective
  • Valentina Stosor, Julie Kruszynski, Terra Suriano, Gary A. Noskin, Lance R. Peterson
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 653-659
  • View abstract
    Objective:

    To determine the molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at our medical center in order to identify the extent of strain clonality and possible transmission patterns of this pathogen.

    Design:

    An important facet of our infection control program includes molecular typing of all clinical and surveillance isolates of VRE to determine transmission patterns in the hospital. Molecular strain typing is performed by restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) of genomic DNA. REA patterns are visually compared to categorize VRE strains into type and subtype designations.

    Setting:

    A 588-bed, university-affiliated, tertiary-care hospital and a neighboring 155-bed rehabilitation facility.

    Results:

    From January 1995 through December 1996, 379 VRE isolates were collected from 197 patients. Thirty-three genotypes were determined by REA typing; 15 genotypes were implicated in 29 instances of potential nosocomial transmission. Three major clusters of VRE involving patients on multiple nursing units and two adjacent hospitals were identified. The remaining instances of nosocomial transmission occurred in small patient clusters.

    Conclusions:

    In conclusion, the VRE epidemic at this medical center is polyclonal. VRE transmission patterns are complex, and, while large clusters do occur, the usual pattern of nosocomial acquisition of this pathogen occurs in the setting of “mini-clusters”.

Letters to the Editor

Editorial

Letters to the Editor

  • Reply
  • Charles Humble
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, p. 527
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation
  • Another Disinfectant for Enterococci
  • Alice N. Neely, Matthew P. Maley
  • Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015, pp. 388-389
    • Article
      • You have access
    • PDF
    • Export citation

Page 1 of 18