Prevention Of Hospital-Acquired Infections
Describe the nosocomial infection.
Answer. It is an infection acquired due to hospital stay.
Sources
- Contaminated infected wounds.
- Urinary tract infections.
- Respiratory tract infections.
- Opportunistic infections.
- Abdominal wounds with severe sepsis.
- Spread can occur from one patient to another, through
nurses or hospital staf who fail to practice strict asepsis.
It is more common in:
- Diabetics
- Immunosuppressed individuals
- Patients on steroid therapy and life-supporting machines
- Instrumentations (including catheter, IV cannulas,tracheostomy tube)
- Patients with artifiial prosthesis
Organisms
- Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism causing hospital-acquired wound infection. Others are Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, E. coli, Proteus.
- Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus, Herpes, Varicella,Aspergillus, Pneumocystis carinii are the most common pathogens involved in hospital-acquired respiratory tract infection which spreads through droplets.
- Klebsiella is the most common pathogen involved in hospital acquired UTI which is highly resistant to drugs.
Management
Most of the time, organisms involved are multidrug-resistant, virulent, and hence, cause severe sepsis.
- Antibiotics.
- Isolation.
- Blood, urine, pus for culture and sensitivity to isolate the organisms.
- Blood transfusion, plasma or albumin therapy.
- Ventilator support.
- Maintaining optimum urine output.
- Nutritional support.
Prevention
- Isolation of patients with badly infected open wounds.
- Severe RTI/UTI.
- Following strict aseptic measures in OT and in ward by hospital attndants.
- Proper cleaning and use of disinfectant lotions and sprays for bedpans, toilets and flor.
- The precipitating causes have to be treated, along with caring for proper nutrition and improving the anemic status
by blood transfusion.
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