Healthcare-associated infections and surgical site infections deserve more attention from the anesthesia community, and hand-washing studies should be repeated at other institutions, according to the authors of an editorial published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
According to the editorial, anesthesiologists should take the following measures to decrease the incidence of HCAIs and SSIs:
1. Determine the effectiveness of local anesthesia work area decontamination protocols.
2. Continue to administer the proper antibiotic in a timely manner.
3. Continue to wash hands in all cases.
However, they added that a study conducted to reduce intraoperative bacterial contamination of peripheral intravenous tubing through use of a novel device, led by M.D. Koch and colleagues and published in Anesthesiology in 2009, should be repeated in other settings. The authors wrote:
"Two examples support the need for testing protocol changes for effectiveness. First, when a needleless IV access device replaced a conventional needle access device, HCAIs increased. Second, protocol-driven handwashing and glove wearing did not reduce bacterial colonization and contamination in nurses with dermatitis. This is not an argument against washing hands or wearing gloves, but evidence that we need to develop multiple strategies to reduce contamination and infection."
Read the full text of the editorial in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Read more on anesthesia:
-EmCare Acquires Tampa Bay Anesthesia Providers
-Anesthesiologists Encourage Colleagues to Tackle Surgical Site Infections
-Surgeon and Anesthesiologist Perception of Turnover Times May Be Flawed
According to the editorial, anesthesiologists should take the following measures to decrease the incidence of HCAIs and SSIs:
1. Determine the effectiveness of local anesthesia work area decontamination protocols.
2. Continue to administer the proper antibiotic in a timely manner.
3. Continue to wash hands in all cases.
However, they added that a study conducted to reduce intraoperative bacterial contamination of peripheral intravenous tubing through use of a novel device, led by M.D. Koch and colleagues and published in Anesthesiology in 2009, should be repeated in other settings. The authors wrote:
"Two examples support the need for testing protocol changes for effectiveness. First, when a needleless IV access device replaced a conventional needle access device, HCAIs increased. Second, protocol-driven handwashing and glove wearing did not reduce bacterial colonization and contamination in nurses with dermatitis. This is not an argument against washing hands or wearing gloves, but evidence that we need to develop multiple strategies to reduce contamination and infection."
Read the full text of the editorial in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Read more on anesthesia:
-EmCare Acquires Tampa Bay Anesthesia Providers
-Anesthesiologists Encourage Colleagues to Tackle Surgical Site Infections
-Surgeon and Anesthesiologist Perception of Turnover Times May Be Flawed