Evaluation of adherence to measures for the prevention of surgical site infections by the surgical team

AbstractOBJECTIVEEvaluate pre- and intraoperative practices adopted by medical and nursing teams for the prevention of surgical infections.METHODA prospective study carried out in the period of April to May 2013, in a surgical center of a university hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.RESULTS18 surgeries were followed and 214 surgical gloves were analyzed, of which 23 (10.7%) had postoperative glove perforation detected, with 52.2% being perceived by users. Hair removal was performed on 27.7% of patients in the operating room, with the use of blades in 80% of the cases. Antibiotic prophylaxis was administered to 81.8% of patients up to 60 minutes prior to surgical incision. An average of nine professionals were present during surgery and the surgery room door remained open in 94.4% of the procedures.CONCLUSIONPartial adhesion to the recommended measures was identified, reaffirming a need for greater attention to these critical steps/actions in order to prevent surgical site infection.

Patient safety and the prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with airway invasive devices

AbstractOBJECTIVETo analyze the care implemented by the nursing team to promote the safety of adult patients and prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with the presence of lower airways invasive devices.METHODStudy with qualitative and quantitative approach, descriptive and exploratory type, whose investigative scenarios were adult inpatient units of a hospital in the West Frontier of Rio Grande do Sul. The study subjects consisted of nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants.RESULTSA total of 118 professionals were interviewed. We highlight the observed specific care with endotracheal tube and tracheostomy, management and assessment of the cuff and the criteria used to secretion aspiration.CONCLUSIONThere is a superficial nursing work in the patient direct care and a differentiation in relation to the perception of nurse technicians, especially those working in the intensive care unit, who presented major property and view of the patient's clinical status.

Comparison of single doses of amoxicillin or of amoxicillin-gentamicin for the prevention of endocarditis caused by Streptococcus faecalis and by viridans streptococci.

Recent recommendations for the prophylaxis of endocarditis in humans have advocated single doses or short courses of antibiotic combinations (beta-lactam plus aminoglycoside) for susceptible patients in whom enterococcal bacteremia might develop or for patients at especially high risk of developing endocarditis (e.g., patients with prosthetic cardiac valves). We tested the prophylactic efficacy (in rats with catheter-induced aortic vegetations) of single doses of amoxicillin plus gentamicin against challenge with various streptococcal strains (two strains of Streptococcus faecalis, one of Streptococcus bovis, and three of viridans streptococci); we then compared this efficacy with that of single doses of amoxicillin alone. Successful prophylaxis against all six strains was achieved with single doses of both amoxicillin alone and amoxicillin plus gentamicin. This protection, however, was limited, for both regimens, to the lowest bacterial-inoculum size producing endocarditis in 90% of control rats and was not extended to higher inocula by using the combination of antibiotics. We concluded that a single dose of amoxicillin alone was protective against enterococcal and nonenterococcal endocarditis in the rat, but that its efficacy was limited and could not be improved by the simultaneous administration of gentamicin.

IOWATER, Vol. 1, no.3, Fall 2000

Water fact sheet for Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Geological Bureau.

Iowa Railroad Ties, Fall 2007

Quarterly newsletter of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Rail Transportation.

Iowa Railroad Ties, Fall 2007

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Rail Transportation.

Main Street Messenger, Fall 2007

News from the Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa

La prévention est un sport de combat. [Prevention is a combat sport].

Fred Paccaud, professeur d'épidémiologie et de santé publique (Lausanne), réagit à la campagne de dénigrement menée en avril 2008 contre le directeur de l'Office fédéral de la santé publique et les campagnes de prévention.

Fall '07 SMARTNews

News from the Iowa Careers Consortium

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Credit Cards on Student Incomes: Proceed With Caution – and Shop With Care, Fall 2007

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Credit Cards on Student Incomes: Proceed With Caution – and Shop With Care.

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Bank Credit Card Information, Fall 2003

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Bank Credit Card Information

In vitro prevention of the emergence of daptomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci following combination with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or ampicillin.

Daptomycin is bactericidal against meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), glycopeptide-intermediate-resistant S. aureus (GISA) and vancomycin-susceptible and -resistant enterococci. However, selection for daptomycin-resistant derivatives has occasionally been reported during therapy in humans. Here we evaluate whether selection for daptomycin-resistant S. aureus or enterococci could be prevented in vitro by combining daptomycin with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, gentamicin or rifampicin. Six strains of S. aureus (four MRSA and two GISA) and four strains of enterococci (two Enterococcus faecalis and two Enterococcus faecium) were serially exposed in broth to two-fold stepwise increasing concentrations of daptomycin alone or in combination with a fixed concentration [0.25x minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)] of either of the second agents. The daptomycin MIC was examined after each cycle. Exposure to daptomycin alone gradually selected for S. aureus and enterococci with an increased MIC. Gentamicin did not prevent the emergence of daptomycin-resistant bacteria. Rifampicin was also unable to prevent daptomycin resistance, although resistance was slightly delayed. In contrast, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or ampicillin prevented or greatly delayed the selection of daptomycin-resistant mutants in S. aureus and enterococci, respectively. Addition of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or ampicillin to daptomycin prevents, or greatly delays, daptomycin resistance in vitro. Future studies in animal models are needed to predict the utility of these combinations in humans.

The rise and fall in menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer incidence.

Studies conducted in different areas of North America and Europe showed a 5-10% decline in the incidence of breast cancer following reductions up to 70% in menopause hormone therapy (HT) use after 2002. The observation that the decline was larger in (or limited to) women aged > or =50 years weighs in favour of an effect of reduced HT use on breast cancer incidence. However, changes in screening are also likely to play a role in the decreasing incidence of breast cancer observed in several countries. In particular, the technical improvements and the increased effectiveness of breast cancer screening and detection during the 1990s led to a decreased number of pre-clinical cases found by screening in subsequent years. Further, disentangling the effects of HT use and screening is difficult, as women who stop using HT may also undergo mammography screening less frequently. Thus, the reasons of the falls in incidence remain open to discussion.

Progress monitoring for teachers of students who have visual disabilities, Fall 2006.

Description and process of monitoring students with visual disabilities.