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Published on: July 13, 2019
Reusable venesection tourniquets: a potential source of hospital transmission of multiresistant organisms
Angie N Pinto1, Thuy Phan, Gabriela Sala
1Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. pinto.angie@gmail.com.
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of multiresistant organism (MRO) colonisation of reusable venesection tourniquets.
Design And Setting:
A prospective study in a tertiary hospital to collect and analyse reusable venesection tourniquets for the presence of MROs - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and extended-spectrum β-lactamase and metallo-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae - using a sensitive enrichment method. Tourniquets were collected and tested during a 10-week period between September and November 2010.
Main Outcome Measure:
Prevalence of MRO colonisation of tourniquets.
Results:
The overall colonisation rate of 100 tourniquets randomly collected from general wards, ambulatory care areas and critical care areas was 78%. MROs were isolated from 25 tourniquets collected from a variety of hospital locations, including general wards, the intensive care unit, burns unit and anaesthetic bay. MRSA was isolated from 14 tourniquets and VRE from 19; both MRSA and VRE were isolated from nine tourniquets. There were no microorganisms isolated from 22 tourniquets.
Conclusion:
Reusable tourniquets can be colonised with MROs and may be a potential source of transmission of MROs to hospitalised patients.
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