Does routine use of sporicidal disinfectants for all post-discharge hospital rooms reduce environmental contamination with Clostridioides difficile spores?

In a culture survey of 30 U.S. hospitals, rates of Clostridioides difficile spore contamination after cleaning and disinfection of non-C.

Evaluation of a far ultraviolet-C device for decontamination of portable equipment in clinical areas.

Contaminated portable equipment may contribute to transmission of health care-associated pathogens. We demonstrated that a wall-mounted far ultraviolet-C light technology that delivers far ultraviolet-C only when people are not present was effective in reducing contamination on in-use patient transport chairs and physical therapy equipment in equipment rooms. The technology could potentially be used as an adjunctive measure for decontamination of portable equipment in clinical areas.

Do blood contamination reduction devices work? A single institution comparison.

We compare two initial specimen diversion devices evaluated over 3 months to investigate their utility in lowering blood culture contamination rates at or below 1%. Overall contamination rates during trial periods were 2.46% and 2.

Dilution dysfunction: evaluation of automated disinfectant dispenser systems in 10 hospitals demonstrates a need for improved monitoring to ensure that correct disinfectant concentrations are delivered.

Automated dispensers that dilute concentrated disinfectants with water are commonly used in healthcare facilities. In a point-prevalence product evaluation, 9 of 10 (90%) hospitals using dilutable disinfectants had 1 or more malfunctioning dispensers. Twenty-nine of 107 (27.

Incubation period of infection in hospitalized patients and long-term care facility residents: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The incubation period for infection (CDI) is generally considered to be less than 1 week, but some recent studies suggest that prolonged carriage prior to disease onset may be common.

Objective: To estimate the incubation period for patients developing CDI after initial negative cultures.

Methods: In 3 tertiary care medical centers, we conducted a cohort study to identify hospitalized patients and long-term care facility residents with negative initial cultures for followed by a diagnosis of CDI with or without prior detection of carriage.