Bacteremia

Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable, serious, and potentially fatal infections that affect thousands of hospitalized patients each year. Weiner et al. (2016) state approximately 20,686 infections were reported by healthcare facilities across the United States (US) in 2014. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2014) estimates CLABSIs carry an 18% mortality rate, equivalent to 3,723.5 fatalities from the infection based on the 2014 hospital report. Not only do CLABSIs have a high mortality rate, they are also linked to increased morbidity, healthcare costs, and hospital length of stays of 2 to 5 days (Kamboj et al., 2015; Patel et al., 2016; Ramirez, Lee, & Welch, 2012). Marschall et al. (2014) reports each CLABSI cost between $3,700 and $39,000 per infection, not including complications that may arise as a result of the infection. Central line (CL) insertion and maintenance bundles have helped to decrease the number of CLABSIs, however further interventions are needed. The addition of alcohol disinfectant caps (ADCs) to current standard CL maintenance bundles is one intervention that will to help further reduce and possibly eliminate CLABSIs. CLABSIs The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016b) considers a bloodstream infection a CLABSI when two components are present. First, the CL or umbilical catheter (UC) must be present for more than 2 calendar days from the laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection…

Blood stream infection or sepsis is a life threatening condition. It is caused by the presence of pathogens, mainly bacteria and fungi or their toxins in the blood stream (D. C. Angus and T. van der Poll, 2013). In the USA, septic shock is considered the 10th leading cause of death (Heron, M., D. L, 2006). More than one million sepsis cases are reported annually in the US alone (National Center for Health, 2011). 28% to 50 % of these cases end in fatality (Wood KA, Angus DC, 2004), exceeding…

The risk of bacteremia is observed in many dental treatments such as extractions, periodontal procedures, endodontic operations, and tooth brushing [ortho2]. The prevalence of bacteremia occurrence has been reported to last about 10 to 30 minutes. For healthy patients, this is an unimportant factor, however bacteremia poses a risk in patients with prosthetic cardiac valves, previous bacterial endocarditis, surgically constructed systemic-pulmonary shunts, most congenital cardiac malformations,…

Staphylococcus aureus is a part of the family Staphylococcaceae. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive coccus that forms in clusters. There are over 30 staphylococcus organisms but S. aureus causes the largest amount of staph infections. The staph infections can include; “skin infections, pneumonia, food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome, and blood poisoning (bacteremia)” (NIH). Staph infections can present in numerous manners including; pimples or boils. An individual can be a carrier of S.…

prioritized according to clinical epidemiology data; and (3) targeted active surveillance for MRSA in patients admitted from other medical centers” (Rodriguez-Bano et al, 2010, p. 786). These interactions were “implemented to control the spread of MRSA” and “a retrospective, quasi-experimental, interrupted time-series study was used” (Rodriguez-Bano et al, 2010, p. 786). During a 13-year study period, 1,230 patients provided samples. Results for this study show that “824 (67%) were considered…

can cause 2 distinct syndromes depending on how the individual was exposed to the bacterium: primary bacteremia and wound infections [18]. With primary bacteremia, 96% of patients report consuming raw or undercooked oysters during the 7 days preceding illness onset [19]. The median age of patients with primary bacteremia is 54 years, and 89% of the patients are men [20]. Raw oyster consumers who have chronic liver disease are 80 times more likely to develop this infection and 200 times more…

of microorganisms using an efficient technological development, Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, Time-of-flight and Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The case involved a 54 year old Asian male who had received a living-donor kidney transplant 14 years ago due to IgA nephropathy. Signs and symptoms included, fever, multifocal cellulitis, bacteremia, swelling and spontaneous pain in arms and legs (1). MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify the agent of the infection as Helicobacter cinaedi.…

A 51 year old Hispanic woman was readmitted for the fifth time, with nausea, vomiting, diffuse abdominal pain and diarrhea. During her initial presentation, she was diagnosed with Clostridium difficle colitis (C diff) and during the subsequent admissions, she remained positive for C diff and is currently on a vancomycin taper for treatment of recurrent C diff. Over the past several admissions, she was found to have bacteremia with organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Eubacterium lentum,…

occur when the windpipe becomes swollen not allowing the individual to breathe. When the bacteria infect the blood, it will cause bacteremia, which presents with many of the same symptoms associated with pneumonia such as fever, chills and shortness of breath. Bacteremia can also cause abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can also cause the individual to have an altered mental status that causes confusion. When these bacteria reach the meninges it causes meningitis, which…

The incubation period of pneumococcal pneumonia is acute, from one to three days. The symptoms include sudden onset of fever and chills, sharp chest pain, cough, production of both mucus and pus, dry sputum, dyspnea, hypoxia, abnormally rapid breathing, abnormal heart rate, discomfort feeling, and weakness. Pneumonia is followed by upper or middle respiratory viral infection which then transforms to S.pneumonia of pulmonary parenchyma. The symptoms include increased amount and thick secretions…