Infection control. A long time coming

This article presents the case of a doctor who developed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in his right lung. Development of the disease was attributed to treatment errors and resulted in surgical intervention to effect a cure. The isolation and management of this patient spanned a total of 12 months. Infection control interventions to minimise the effects of sensory deprivation, given the length of stay of the patient, appear to have been satisfactory, with no treatment for any clinical depression required. The availability of negative pressure ventilation and the then controversial use of masks prevented any nosocomial transmission of MDR TB. Use of masks resulted in a two-tier system of infection control. It was difficult to make such a decision in the absence of any published UK guidelines. Guidelines have subsequently been published.