To explore the association of putative disease markers and potential risk factors with the nosocomial sepsis syndrome.

Prospective case-control study matched for gender, age, and length of preinfection hospital stay.

1,200-bed tertiary-care center in Spain.

Cases were selected using the sepsis syndrome criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference and were divided into three groups: sepsis with bacteremia (109 cases), sepsis with positive culture other than blood (122 cases), and sepsis with negative culture (115 cases without documented infection but with sepsis syndrome, clinically suspected infection, and empirical antibiotic treatment). Controls were randomly selected from the daily list of inpatients. Data were collected prospectively. Crude and multiple-risk-factor-adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were computed using conditional logistic regression analysis.

Presence of coma in the 48 hours before sepsis, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and decreased serum albumin levels at admission were common epidemiological markers identified for the three groups of cases. Having a central venous catheter was the main healthcare-related risk factor for bacteremia. ICU stay and nasogastric tube were the main risk factors for sepsis with positive culture other than blood. Coma within 48 hours before sepsis and the need of intensive care were the only two markers identified for culture-negative sepsis.

Culture-negative sepsis does not behave like culture-positive sepsis, and this may imply that implementation of preventive measures to decrease the risk of bacteremia may not decrease the risk of sepsis syndrome.

To establish an efficient and sensitive technique for recovering vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from perianal and environmental samples collected during implementation of control measures for an outbreak of VRE.

Perianal and environmental samples were collected in triplicate on sterile swabs. One swab was used to inoculate a selective broth medium containing 6 μg of vancomycin and 8 μg of ciprofloxacin per mL, one to inoculate Campylobacter agar containing 10 μg/mL of vancomycin, and one to inoculate Enterococcosel agar containing 8 μg/mL of vancomycin.

Samples were collected in the intensive care units of a 600-bed university hospital over a period of 2 months.

Patients and their immediate environment were sampled if they resided in a ward with a patient known to be colonized or infected with VRE.

Of the 88 perianal samples obtained from 63 patients, 37 were positive for VRE by broth culture, with 36 also recovered on both types of solid media (sensitivity, 97.3%; negative predictive value, 98.1%). Of the initial samples collected from each of the 63 patients, 20 were positive for VRE by all methods. Of the 500 environmental samples cultured, 139 were positive for VRE in broth, with only 33 recovered on Campylobacter agar (sensitivity, 23.7%; negative predictive value, 77.2%) and 22 on Enterococcosel agar (sensitivity, 15.8%; negative predictive value, 75.2%).

Our data indicate that, when performing surveillance cultures during an outbreak of VRE, use of an enrichment broth medium is required to recover VRE contaminating environmental surfaces; however, direct inoculation to selective solid medium is adequate to recover VRE in patient perianal specimens.

To determine differences in the identity and quantity of microbial flora from healthcare workers (HCWs) wearing artificial nails compared with control HCWs with native nails.

Two separate studies were undertaken. In study 1, 12 HCWs who did not normally wear artificial nails wore polished artificial nails on their nondominant hand for 15 days. Identity and quantity of microflora were compared between the artificial nails and the polished native nails of the other hand. In study 2, the microbial flora of the nails of 30 HCWs who wore permanent acrylic artificial nails were compared with that of control HCWs who had native nails. In both studies, nail surfaces were swabbed and subungual debris was collected to obtain material for culture. Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative bacilli, enterococci, and yeasts were considered to be potential pathogens. All organisms were identified and quantified.

In study 1, potential pathogens were isolated from more samples obtained from artificial nails than native nails (92% vs 62%; P<.001). Colonization of artificial nails increased over time; by day 15, 71% of cultures yielded a pathogen compared with 21% on day 1 (P=.004). A significantly greater quantity of organisms (expressed as mean log10 colony-forming units ± standard deviation) was isolated from the subungual area than the nail surface; this was noted for both artificial (5.0±1.4 vs 4.1 ±1.0; P<.001) and native nails (4.9±1.3 vs 3.7±0.8; P<.001). More organisms were found on the surface of artificial nails than native nails (P=.008), but there were no differences noted in the quantities of organisms isolated from the subungual areas. In study 2, HCWs wearing artificial nails were more likely to have a pathogen isolated than controls (87% vs 43%; P=.001). More HCWs with artificial nails had gram-negative bacilli (47% vs 17%; P=.03) and yeasts (50% vs 13%; P=.006) than control HCWs. However, the quantities of organisms isolated from HCWs wearing artificial nails and controls did not differ.

Artificial fingernails were more likely to harbor pathogens, especially gram-negative bacilli and yeasts, than native nails. The longer artificial nails were worn, the more likely that a pathogen was isolated. Current recommendations restricting artificial fingernails in certain healthcare settings appear justified.

To describe the behavior of French nurses after occupational exposure to blood (OEB); to study the reasons for not reporting an OEB to the occupational medicine service or the hospital authorities, and to explore the links between personality traits and both the risk of having an OEB and the likelihood of reporting it.

A descriptive and correlational study using a cross-sectional survey for data collection.

Six nursing schools (four initial training institutes and two specialty training schools, one for surgical nurses and one for nurse anesthetists) and six hospitals in Lorraine.

942 nurses and 459 nursing students were approached, and 964 (69%) replied to the questionnaire.

The participants received an anonymous two-part questionnaire. The first part explored the knowledge of the risk and Standard Precautions and collected details of the history of OEB. Reporting of OEB to the occupational medicine service or the hospital authorities and the nature of serological monitoring after OEB also were explored. The second part was composed of the Zuckerman sensation-seeking scale, exploring four areas: disinhibition, danger- and adventure-seeking, seeking new experiences, and susceptibility to boredom.

947 nurses were vaccinated against hepatitis B, but only 528 (56%) had checked that they were effectively immunized. Only 166 respondents (17%) stated they routinely used gloves during all procedures in which they were exposed to blood. There were 505 recorded OEB during the study period (0.24 per person per year). The most frequently reported OEB were those involving hollow needles (57%). Approximately one half (48.5%) of all OEB were reported. “Good local antisepsis immediately after the accident” was the reason most often given to justify nonreporting. Only 57% of OEB victims sought to determine the serological status of the source patient for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus immediately after accident. Only 40% and 31% of OEB victims checked their own HIV and HCV serostatus 3 and 6 months after OEB, respectively. Few staff adopted safer-sex measures after OEB, and some continued to donate blood in subsequent months. Logistic regression identified two variables significantly and independently linked to the risk of having at least one OEB in the 27 months preceding the date on which the questionnaire was completed: having a permanent position and having a higher degree of disinhibition. Taking into account the number of OEB during this period (Poisson regression), four variables were significantly and independently linked to the risk of having a larger number of OEB: having a permanent position; having a higher degree of disinhibition; being more susceptible to boredom; and having less nursing experience. In logistic regression, three variables emerged as being significantly and independently linked to reporting all OEB: younger age; having had at least one percutaneous injury (excluding splashes); and having lower susceptibility to boredom.

Nursing personnel continue to ignore or be unaware of many factors surrounding OEB, meaning that information and counseling must continue unabated. Knowledge of the risk, of the benefit of respecting Standard Precautions, and of the importance of notification and serological follow-up is still inadequate. Finally, certain personality traits, such as a high level of disinhibition and susceptibility to boredom, appear to be linked to the risk of OEB. Subjects strongly susceptible to boredom are less likely to report such accidents.

To investigate an outbreak of invasive disease due to Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU).

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of restriction fragments was used to characterize the outbreak isolate genotypes. A retrospective cohort study of surgical ICU patients was conducted to identify risk factors associated with invasive disease. Unit staffing data were analyzed to compare staffing levels during the outbreak to those prior to and following the outbreak.

An urban hospital in San Francisco, California.

During the outbreak period, December 1997 through January 1998, there were 52 patients with a minimum ICU stay of ≥72 hours. Of these, 10 patients fit our case definition of recovery of E cloacae or S marcescens from a sterile site.

PFGE analysis revealed a highly heterogeneous population of isolates. Bivariate analysis of patient-related risk factors revealed duration of central lines, respiratory colonization, being a burn patient, and the use of gentamicin or nafcillin to be significantly associated with invasive disease. Both respiratory colonization and duration of central lines remained statistically significant in a multivariate analysis. Staffing data suggested a temporal correlation between understaffing and the outbreak period.

Molecular epidemiological techniques provided a rapid means of ruling out a point source or significant cross-contamination as modes of transmission. In this setting, patient-related risk factors, such as respiratory colonization and duration of central lines, may provide a focus for heightened surveillance, infection control measures, and empirical therapy during outbreaks caused by common nosocomial pathogens. In addition, understaffing of nurses may have played a role in this outbreak, highlighting the importance of monitoring staffing levels.

To develop a standardized surveillance system for monitoring hemodialysis vascular-access infections in order to compare infection rates between outpatient sites and to assess the effectiveness of infection control interventions.

Prospective descriptive analysis of incidence infection rates.

An outpatient hemodialysis center with facilities in Idaho and Oregon.

All outpatients receiving chronic outpatient hemodialysis.

There were 38,096 hemodialysis sessions (31,603 via permanent fistulae or grafts, 5,060 via permanent tunneled central catheters, and 1,433 via temporary catheters) during an 18-month study period in 1997 to 1998. We identified 176 total infections, for a rate of 4.62/1,000 dialysis sessions (ds). Of the 176, 80 involved permanent fistulae or grafts (2.53/1,000 ds), 69 involved permanent tunneled central catheter infections (13.64/1,000 ds), and 27 involved temporary catheter infections (18.84/1,000 ds). There were 35 bloodstream infections (0.92/1,000 ds) and 10 episodes of clinical sepsis (0.26 /1,000 ds). One hundred thirty-one vascular-site infections without bacteremia were identified (3.44/1,000 ds), including 65 permanent fistulae or graft infections (2.06/1,000 ds), 42 permanent tunneled central catheter infections (8.3/1,000 ds), and 24 temporary catheter infections (16.75/1,000 ds).

Infection rates were highest among temporary catheters and lowest among permanent native arteriovenous fistulae or synthetic grafts. This represents the first report of extensive incidence data on hemodialysis vascular access infections and represents a standardized surveillance and data-collection system that could be implemented in hemodialysis facilities to allow for reliable data comparison and benchmarking.

To describe the epidemiology of nosocomial infections in combined medical-surgical (MS) intensive care units (ICUs) participating in the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) System.

Analysis of surveillance data on 498,998 patients with 1,554,070 patient-days, collected between 1992 and 1998 from 205 MS ICUs following the NNIS Intensive Care Unit protocol, representing 152 participating NNIS hospitals in the United States.

Infections at three major sites represented 68% of all reported infections (nosocomial pneumonia, 31%; urinary tract infections (UTIs), 23%; and primary bloodstream infections (BSIs), 14%: 83% of episodes of nosocomial pneumonia were associated with mechanical ventilation, 97% of UTIs occurred in catheterized patients, and 87% of primary BSIs in patients with a central line. In patients with primary BSIs, coagulase-negative staphylococci (39%) were the most common pathogens reported; Staphylococcus aureus (12%) was as frequently reported as enterococci (11%). Coagulase-negative staphylococcal BSIs were increasingly reported over the 6 years, but no increase was seen in candidemia or enterococcal bacteremia. In patients with pneumonia, S aureus (17%) was the most frequently reported isolate. Of reported isolates, 59% were gram-negative bacilli. In patients with UTIs, Escherichia coli (19%) was the most frequently reported isolate. Of reported isolates, 31% were fungi. In patients with surgical-site infections, Enterococcus (17%) was the single most frequently reported pathogen. Device-associated nosocomial infection rates for BSIs, pneumonia, and UTIs did not correlate with length of ICU stay, hospital bed size, number of beds in die ICU, or season. Combined MS ICUs in major teaching hospitals had higher device-associated infection rates compared to all other hospitals with combined medical-surgical units.

Nosocomial infections in MS ICUs at the most frequent infection sites (bloodstream, urinary, and respiratory tract) almost always were associated with use of an invasive device. Device-associated infection rates were die best available comparative rates between combined MS ICUs, but the distribution of device-associated rates should be stratified by a hospital's major teaching affiliation status.