Here is an encouraging piece of news from IDWeek and reported by John Schieszer in Renal and Urology News:
"Dr Priti Patel, a medical officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, presented study findings at IDWeek, a joint meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and three other medical organizations. The gist was that the incidence rates of invasive MRSA decreased annually by 6.5% for outpatients and 10.6% for inpatients: incidence rates decreased from 6.5 cases per 100 dialysis patients in 2005 to 4.4 cases per 100 dialysis patients in 2010.
Dr. Patel is quoted as saying: “It is possible that the Fistula First program and other efforts to reduce central venous catheter use in outpatient hemodialysis centers have contributed to this finding. Efforts occurring within hospitals to reduce bloodstream infections and prevent MRSA transmission also could have played a role in the rate decrease.”
"Dr Priti Patel, a medical officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, presented study findings at IDWeek, a joint meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and three other medical organizations. The gist was that the incidence rates of invasive MRSA decreased annually by 6.5% for outpatients and 10.6% for inpatients: incidence rates decreased from 6.5 cases per 100 dialysis patients in 2005 to 4.4 cases per 100 dialysis patients in 2010.
Dr. Patel is quoted as saying: “It is possible that the Fistula First program and other efforts to reduce central venous catheter use in outpatient hemodialysis centers have contributed to this finding. Efforts occurring within hospitals to reduce bloodstream infections and prevent MRSA transmission also could have played a role in the rate decrease.”
Some interesting information about the MRSA episodes:
- Nearly 93% of these cases were bloodstream infections.
- The median age of these dialysis patients was 59 years (range 3-97 years).
- The group was 54% male and 57.4% African-American.
- The dialysis modality was hemodialysis in 97.4% of patients and peritoneal dialysis in 2.6%.
- The study showed that 70.8% of the patients had been hospitalized in the year prior to the MRSA culture.
- Among the hemodialysis patients, 60.9% had a central venous catheter.
- The mortality rate within seven days of MRSA culture was 6.1%. The investigators concluded that infection prevention measures should include “fastidious vascular access care” and efforts to decrease central venous catheter use.
