Infection control experience in a cooperative care center for transplant patients.

Objective: To characterize infection control experience during a 6.5-year period in a cooperative care center for transplant patients.

Design: Descriptive analysis.

Prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel in critical care units .

Background: There are limited data from prospective studies to indicate whether improvement in hand hygiene associated with the use of alcohol-based hand hygiene products results in improved patient outcomes.

Design: A 2-year, prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel.

Setting: The study was conducted in 2 medical-surgical ICUs for adults, each with 12 beds, from August 2001 to September 2003 at a university-associated, tertiary care teaching hospital.

Outbreak of bloodstream infection temporally associated with the use of an intravascular needleless valve.

Background: Needleless intravascular catheter connector valves have been introduced into clinical practice to minimize the risk of needlestick injury. However, infection-control risks associated with these valves may be underappreciated. In March 2005, a dramatic increase in bloodstream infections was noted in multiple patient care units of a hospital in temporal association with the introduction of a needleless valve into use.

Designing a biocontainment unit to care for patients with serious communicable diseases: a consensus statement.

In spite of great advances in medicine, serious communicable diseases are a significant threat. Hospitals must be prepared to deal with patients who are infected with pathogens introduced by a bioterrorist act (e.g.