Taking a stand
against infections
SCORE ANOTHER WIN
for BMH in the
battle of the bugs.
Te Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has
racked up more than 30 months without
a single patient developing a bloodstream
infection—a record achieved by few hospi-
tals anywhere in the country.
It has taken a concerted efort by staf
and physicians to control this dangerous
infection, most often introduced through
central lines—intravenous catheters used
to deliver medication, nutrition and fuids
to a patient.
“When you break the skin to insert
these devices, you’re making it easier for
organisms to enter the body,” says Beverly
Yoder, Beaufort Memorial’s infection pre-
vention coordinator.
Tiny germs, huge problems
“With central line infections, germs are
transmitted throughout the body via the
bloodstream,” says Diane Razo, RN, direc-
tor of critical care for BMH. “It’s a very seri-
ous condition that can afect vital organs.”
Te record-breaking run without an
ICU central line infection is BMH’s latest
victory in a relentless fght to control
hospital-acquired infections and improve
patient outcomes.
One of the most dramatic improve-
ments has been with methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
or MRSA—the most
common source of hospital infections.
Tis aggressive contagion has become re-
sistant to the antibiotics commonly used
to treat staph infections.
In 2004, the hospital recorded more
than 30 cases of MRSA. By 2009, hospital
staf had decreased the number to 16. Last
year, it dropped almost 70 percent—to
just fve infections. For two quarters in
2010, there were zero MRSA cases.
Much of the improvement came after
the hospital started screening patients who
are at high risk for MRSA. If a nose swab
detects the bacteria, the patient is isolated,
reducing the chance of transmission.
Te hospital also began an aggressive
campaign to improve hand hygiene.
“Most of our staf is doing a good job,”
Yoder says. “But we need to stay on top of
it because it’s so important.”
BMH also is preparing to implement a
South Carolina Hospital Association initia-
tive designed to reduce urinary tract infec-
tions (UTIs) caused by Foley catheters.
UTIs are not as threatening as blood-
stream infections and can usually be
treated with antibiotics. But overuse of
these drugs has caused a growing number
of microorganisms to become resistant.
“Hospitals across the country are see-
ing more and more of these multidrug-
resistant organisms,” Yoder says. “Tey’re
very difcult to treat.”
Te national patient safety goals in-
clude a series of evidence-based practices
to reduce hospital-acquired UTIs.
“We used to keep Foley catheters in pa-
tients for three or four days after surgery,”
Yoder says. “Under the new standard
of care, we try to remove them within
24 hours to lessen the risk of infection.”
To ensure compliance with the recom-
mended evidence-based practices, the
hospital’s infection preventionist per-
forms random spot checks.
In the past, Beaufort Memorial’s ICU
had gone no more than fve months with-
out a patient developing a bloodstream
infection. It’s now 2½ years and counting.
“Bloodstream infection rates have
come down across the country,” Yoder
says. “But going this long without an in-
fection is rare.”
2½ years
and counting
Everybody seems to be
using
hand sanitizers
these days. But do they
actually work? Search
for “infection” at
www.YouTube.com/
Beaufor tMemorial
to see the answer.
HOSPITAL NEWS
18
Health Scene • www.bmhsc.org