Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

8 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY Stethoscopes carry broad range of bacteria — even after cleaning By Mackenzie Bean S tethoscopes used in hospitals oen contain a broad range of bacteria, ac- cording to a study published in Infec- tion Control & Hospital Epidemiology. For the study, researchers analyzed the DNA of bacterial populations found on 40 stethoscopes in one hospital's intensive care unit, including 20 reusable scopes used by practitioners and 20 disposable stethoscopes used in patient rooms. Of the 20 disposable stethoscopes, half were clean and unused. Researchers swabbed stethoscopes both before and after they were cleaned via different methods. Stethoscopes used by practitioners had the highest bacterial contamination levels, although researchers detected signifi- cant contamination on all 40 scopes. e stethoscopes contained a broad range of bacteria, including pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infections. Staphylococ- cus bacteria were found on all stethoscopes and had the highest relative abundance on practitioner scopes. While cleaning clinicians' scopes via stan- dardized or practitioner-preferred methods reduced bacterial contamination levels, only two got as clean as new stethoscopes. "Stethoscopes used in an ICU carry bacterial DNA reflecting complex microbial commu- nities," researchers concluded. "Commonly used cleaning practices reduce contamina- tion, but are only partially successful at mod- ifying or eliminating these communities." n Can vitamin-steroid cocktail cure sepsis? Trial aims to find out By Megan Knowles A fter a physician reported a mix of vitamin C, thiamine and steroids could treat sepsis, a clinical trial is un- derway to see if it can cure the potentially life-threat- ening condition, according to NPR. The Marcus Foundation, which supports human services, approached critical care physicians at Emory University after hearing about the potentially lifesaving treatment and offered to fund a study to test it. "One of the things they were very interested in doing was getting an answer quickly," said Jonathan Sevransky, MD, a critical care physician at the Atlanta-based university. Emory physicians partnered with researchers at Johns Hopkins Uni- versity in Baltimore and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., to launch a study at about 40 hospitals simultaneously. Dorian Pelfrey, a 44-year-old man who developed sepsis at Emory, was one of the first patients to enroll in the study. He would have a 50-50 chance of getting the vitamin mixture or standard fluids for hydration through an IV. Doses of cortico- steroids are also included in the experiment. Mr. Pelfrey doesn't know whether got the experimental treatment or the placebo, but his health has slowly been improving since having sepsis and his liver transplant. The trial, called Vitamin C, Thiamine And Steroids in Sepsis, has enrolled over 70 patients as of Dec. 14. Once 200 patients are enrolled, an independent group of researchers will examine the data to see whether there's a significant difference between the outcomes of patients who had the vitamins and those who had the placebo. n Flu shot rates on the rise for kids, adults By Megan Knowles T he number of children and adults vaccinated for the flu as of mid-November 2018 increased sig- nificantly compared to 2017, according to CDC data released Dec. 14. The data, drawn from three CDC-sponsored surveys, found flu vaccination coverage among children and teens rose nearly 7 percentage points compared with the same time last flu season. Flu vaccination coverage among adults increased 6.4 percentage points. The data did not indicate whether more people will be vaccinated overall this winter or that 2017-18's flu sea- son changed behavior this year, but the increase may show more people chose to get their flu shot sooner in 2018 than 2017. "It's a good sign, but it's too early to interpret," Michael Osterholm, PhD, director of the University of Minneso- ta's Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy in Minneapolis, told STAT. The rise in early vaccinations could be due to fresh memories of 2017-18's severe flu season, which killed about 80,000 people, but Dr. Osterholm said other factors could also be contributing. "I don't know if that's what did it, or if in fact there are more organized programs to get people vaccinated," he told STAT. The CDC is encouraging healthcare providers to rec- ommend and offer flu shots to all patients to improve vaccination coverage this season. n

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