Related Experiment Videos
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in geriatric patients: usefulness of screening in a chronic-care setting
1Service d'Hygiène Hospitalière, CHU Besançon, France.
Objective:
To evaluate the contribution of screening to the detection of cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a chronic-care facility.
Design:
Surveillance and laboratory observational study.
Methods:
During a 7-month period, we compared imported and acquired MRSA in a chronic-care center by screening patients for carriage of MRSA on admission and discharge, and by recording all cases of clinical specimens positive for MRSA.
Setting:
The study was conducted in a 120-bed chronic-care center. This center admits approximately 850 patients per year. Approximately 90% of the patients were elderly and were admitted from other hospitals.
Results:
Of 519 patients admitted during the study period, 129 were positive for MRSA at some point during their residence, including 60 (11.6%) with MRSA found within 48 hours of admission and 69 (13.3%; 53% of all positives) with nosocomial MRSA Of the 519 admissions, 332 (64%) were discharged, of whom 62 (19%) were positive for MRSA Of these 62, 43 (69%) acquired their MRSA during their stay in the center.
Conclusions:
Our study confirms the amplification effect of chronic-care facilities on MRSA propagation. It also shows that screening for MRSA carriage in a chronic-care center facilitates the early identification of a large proportion of patients with MRSA.