Infection Control Today News Only Feed

Healthmark Industries Offers New CEU Game

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Healthmark Industries announces the launch of its newest game on Crazy4Clean.com, “Maestra Tempa’s Temperature Challenge.” This new game takes participants on an adventure of learning the importance of temperature monitoring. Maestra Tempa will help participants choose the correct temperature settings for rooms and equipment as well as learn how

Firms Announce Partnership for Surgical Instrument Management

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Best Practice Professionals, Inc., a leading provider of oneSOURCE Document Management Service®, an electronic database that provides immediate access to manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFU) documents, has entered into a partnership with Haldor Advanced Technologies Ltd., the leading provider of RFID enabled surgical instrument visibility

Safe in Common Announces Third Online Conference to Push for Needlestick Safety

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Safe in Common (SIC), the non-profit organization of healthcare safety advocates that is dedicated to eradicating needlestick- and sharps-related injuries, today opened registration for its third online conference in a series of events addressing needlestick and sharps safety. The conference, “The Unfinished Agenda: When Will Healthcare Worker

Researchers are Attacking MRSA With Metals From Antibacterial Clays

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:00 GMT

In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance. Shelley Haydel, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, has a new approach to developing

Leading Explanations for Whooping Cough's Resurgence Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence. Some say the vaccine wears off quicker than public health officials had previously believed. Others suggest that the vaccine protects against illness but does

Prenatal Exposure to Traffic is Associated with Respiratory Infection in Young Children

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study from researchers in Boston. “The connection between in utero and early life cigarette smoke exposure and adverse infant respiratory outcomes is well-established, but

Early Childhood Respiratory Infections May Explain Link Between Analgesics and Asthma

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

A new study conducted by Boston researchers reports that the link between asthma and early childhood use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be driven by underlying respiratory infections that prompt the use of these analgesics, rather than the drugs themselves. The results of the new study will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference.

Source of Infection Affects Hospital Mortality in Septic Shock Patients in the ICU

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

In ICU patients who have septic shock, the anatomic source of infection has a strong effect on the chances of survival, according to a new study from researchers in Canada. “Understanding the local infection source in patients with septic shock may influence treatment strategies and clinical outcomes,” says researcher Peter Dodek, MD MHSc,

Commonly Used Catheters Double Risk of Blood Clots in ICU and Cancer Patients

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Touted for safety, ease and patient convenience, peripherally inserted central catheters have become many clinicians’ go-to for IV delivery of antibiotics, nutrition, chemotherapy, and other medications. But compared to other central venous catheters (CVCs), these commonly-used catheters (known as PICCs) more than double the risk of dangerous

FDA Expands Alert About Lack of Sterility Assurance of NuVision Pharmacys Sterile Drug Products

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:00 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare providers of concerns about a lack of sterility assurance of all sterile drug products made and distributed by NuVision Pharmacy of Dallas. The FDA recommends that these products should not be administered to patients. If a drug product marketed as sterile has microbial contamination,

Patient Characteristics Discriminate Between Asymptomatic and Symptomatic E. coli Bacteriuria

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Escherichia coli is a common cause of asymptomatic and symptomatic bacteriuria in hospitalized patients. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is frequently treated with antibiotics without a clear indication. To determine patient and pathogen factors suggestive of ASB, Marschall, et al. conducted a 12-month prospective cohort study of adult inpatients

Researchers Test Implementation of WHO Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy in Critical Care Units

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:00 GMT

To determine hand hygiene compliance before and after an intervention campaign in critical care units, Mazi, et al. (2013) conducted their study in the intensive care unit (ICU), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), burn unit (BU) and the kidney unit of the King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia. The observation using the WHO

PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Receives Travelers Choice Award from TripAdvisor

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The TripAdvisor travel site announces the winners of its second annual Travelers' Choice® Awards for Travel Favorites. PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer was selected by TripAdvisor travelers as the best hand sanitizer. The awards honor top brands travelers across select global markets prefer to use on their trips. In the U.S., there were 21 winners

DebMed Announces U.S. Patent

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

DebMed®, creator of the world's first electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system based on the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, announces the issuance of U.S. Patent #8,427,323 by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for the technology integrated within the DebMed® GMS™ (Group Monitoring System). The

American Society for Microbiology Hosts Antibacterial Product Testing Workshop

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Experts on the topic of antibacterials and manufacturers of antibacterial soaps are showcasing the latest methods for demonstrating the effectiveness of antibacterial hand soaps and sanitizers in killing disease-causing germs. During the 2013 meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) and the

CDC Study Finds Fecal Contamination in Pools

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:26:00 GMT

A study of public pools conducted during last summer’s swim season found that feces are frequently introduced into pool water by swimmers. Through the study, released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers found germs in samples of pool filter water collected from public pools. The CDC collected samples of water

STERIS Launches VaproQuip Decontamination Room

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:50:00 GMT

Biological contamination can be present almost anywhere in a hospital. Aggressive pathogens on environmental surfaces, such as high-touch, difficult-to-clean surfaces of mobile equipment and furniture, can remain viable for extended periods of time. Despite the best efforts of the environmental services department, cleaners and chemicals are

New UV-C-Reflective Wall Coating Reduces Disinfection Times for TRU-D Device

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:40:00 GMT

A recent study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (Rutala, et al., 2013) confirms the ability of a new UV-C-reflective wall coating to dramatically reduce the time necessary to decontaminate a room using the UV-C-emitting device TRU-D SmartUVC. TRU-D, the signature product of Memphis-based Lumalier, is the only portable UV

St. Anthony Hospital Unveils Xenex's New Germ-Eliminating Robot to Enhance Patient Safety

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:30:00 GMT

St. Anthony Hospital’s newest approach to disinfecting a room looks a little like a science fiction character. The new Xenex room disinfection system uses ultraviolet (UV-C) light that is 25,000 times more powerful than the sun to quickly ‘zap’ nasty organisms that cause infections like the flu, norovirus, MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff).

2.4 Billion People Will Lack Improved Sanitation in 2015

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Some 2.4 billion people – one-third of the world’s population – will remain without access to improved sanitation in 2015, according to a joint WHO/UNICEF report issued today. The report, "Progress on sanitation and drinking-water 2013 update," warns that, at the current rate of progress, the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of