This issue covers some of the most significant news from April. Topics include CLABSI guidance, FDA endoscope warning, contaminated flexible endoscopes, C. diff, and long COVID.
* * *
New Guidance for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections — Five medical societies released recommendations for prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in hospitals. The guidance can be accessed here.
The FDA Issues Urgent Warning About Karl Storz Endoscopes Reprocessing Methods — The FDA issued a letter about the change in reprocessing methods for certain urological endoscopes manufactured by Karl Storz, with the administration warning about the risk of infections associated with cystoscopes, ureteroscopes, cystourethroscopes, and ureterorenoscopes.
CDC Alerts Providers to Hepatitis Cases of Unknown Origin — CDC issued a health alert about a cluster of children identified with hepatitis and adenovirus infection. The agency asked physicians to be on the lookout for symptoms and report suspected cases of hepatitis of unknown origin to their health departments.
Despite Safety Alerts, Contaminated Flexible Endoscopes Continue to Put Patients at Risk — Despite efforts and recent warnings to increase the safety and efficacy of reprocessing endoscopes, a study found that reprocessing practices may not always be sufficient to prevent flexible endoscopes from exposing patients to infectious organisms.
Robust Association Between Antibiotics and C Difficile Infection, Even in Outpatient Settings — A study showed that the risk of a community-acquired C diff infection was substantially higher in outpatients with antibiotic exposure than those without.
In-Use Disinfectant Bucket Identified as Source of Contamination in Hospital — A study found that failure to adhere to recommended disinfection protocols and manufacturer's instructions for use of a hospital-grade disinfectant led to the contamination of high-touch surfaces.
About 30 Percent of COVID Patients Develop 'Long COVID,' Researchers Find — Research found that 3 out of every 10 people treated for COVID-19 developed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (i.e., "long COVID").
Toolkit for Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs — AHRQ released a toolkit for preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs that the agency said was based on the experience of hundreds of ICUs nationwide.