Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T02:00:49.998Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Staphylococcal infection in thoracic surgery: experience in a subdivided ward

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

O. M. Lidwell ,
Sheila Polakoff ,
M. Patricia Jevons ,
M. T. Parker ,
R. A. Shooter ,
Valentine I. French  and
D. R. Dunkerley
O. M. Lidwell
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, N. W. 9
Sheila Polakoff
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, N. W. 9
M. Patricia Jevons
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, N. W. 9
M. T. Parker
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, N. W. 9
R. A. Shooter
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, E.C. 1
Valentine I. French
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, E.C. 1
D. R. Dunkerley
Affiliation:
Department of Bacteriology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, E.C. 1
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We studied the incidence of staphylococcal infection in a thoracic surgery ward which consisted of a number of separate rooms, and inquired whether the subdivision of the ward was responsible for the unusually low sepsis-rate.

The airborne dissemination of Staphylococcus aureus from one room to another appeared to be little less than that in an open ward; but the total number of Staph. aureus in the air was very low.

Most of the patients received prophylactic antibiotics. The nasal carrier-rate of Staph. aureus by patients fell greatly during their stay in the ward. There was a progressive disappearance of sensitive organisms and little acquisition of multiple-resistant organisms.

When there are urgent clinical grounds for the lavish use of antibiotics, the dangers appear to be reduced by effective segregation of the patients from each other.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 64 , Issue 3 , September 1966 , pp. 321 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1966

References

REFERENCES

Bassett, H. F. M., Ferguson, W. G., Hoffman, E., Walton, M., Blowers, R. & Conn, C. A. (1963). Sources of staphylococcal infection in surgical wound sepsis. J. Hyg., Camb., 61, 83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blowers, R., Mason, G. A., Wallace, K. R. & Walton, M. (1955). Control of wound infection in a thoracic surgery unit. Lancet ii, 786.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bøe, A. J. & Solberg, C. A. (1965). Behandling av nasale stafylokokkbaerere med fucidin. Tidsskr. norske Laegeforen. 85, 527.Google ScholarPubMed
Ehrenkranz, N. J. (1964). Person-to-person transmission of Staphylococcus aureus; quantitative characterization of nasal carriers spreading infection. New Engl. J. Med. 271, 225.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eriksen, K. R. & Hansen, J. L. (1964). Prophylactic use of antibiotics in surgery of the lung. Acta chir. scand. 128, 651.Google ScholarPubMed
Hansen, J. L. & Eriksen, K. R. (1964). Postoperative infection in thoracic surgery. Acta chir. scand. 128, 698.Google ScholarPubMed
Laurell, G. & Lindbom, G. (1961). Wound infections due to Staphylococcus pyogenes in a thoracic surgical unit. Acta chir. scand. 121, 165.Google Scholar
Lidwell, O. M. (1963). Methods of investigation and analysis of results. In Infection in Hospitals, p. 43. Ed. Williams, R. E. O. and Shooter, R. A., Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Lindbom, G. (1964). Studies of the epidemiology of staphylococcal infections. II. Staphylococcal infections in a thoracic surgery unit. Acta chir. scand. 128, 421.Google Scholar
Noble, W. C. (1962). The dispersal of staphylococci in hospital wards. J. clin. Path. 15, 552.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, M. T., John, M., Emond, R. T. D. & Machacek, K. A. (1965). Acquisition of Staphylococcus aureus by patients in cubicles. Br. med. J. i, 1101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Report (1960). Incidence of surgical wound infection in England and Wales. Lancet ii, 659.Google Scholar
Shooter, R. A., Thom, B. T., Dunkerley, D. R., Taylor, G. W., Parker, M. T., John, M. & Richards, I. D. G. (1963). Pre-operative segregation of patients in a surgical ward. Br. med. J. ii, 1567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, R. E. O., Noble, W. C., Jevons, M. P., Lidwell, O. M., Shooter, R. A., White, R. G., Thom, B. T. & Taylor, G. W. (1962). Isolation for the control of staphylococcal infection in surgical wards. Br. med. J. ii, 275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar