Wearing ID Badges in the Operating Room Environment: Is Reconsideration Warranted?

Background: Surgical site infection and nosocomial infections in general have appropriately undergone increased scrutiny over the last decade. Numerous studies have documented pathogenic bacterial contamination of personal items such as cell phones, pagers, ties, and pens in the hospital setting. It is our understanding that Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires all personnel to wear an identification badge at all times, which includes the operating room environment.

Decreasing prevalence of beta-lactamase production among respiratory tract isolates of Haemophilus influenzae in the United States.

A total of 986 isolates of Haemophilus influenzae from patients with respiratory tract infections in 45 United States medical centers were characterized during the winter of 2002-2003. beta-Lactamase production was noted with 26.2% of isolates; 14.

Antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and group A beta-haemolytic streptococci in 2002-2003. Results of the multinational GRASP Surveillance Program.

A multinational surveillance study, GRASP, was conducted between November 2002 and April 2003 with the aim of assessing rates of antimicrobial resistance among 2656 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2486 isolates of group A beta-haemolytic streptococci, 1358 isolates of Haemophilus influenzae and 1047 of Moraxella catarrhalis from 20 countries in Europe, eastern Asia and southern Africa. Conspicuous differences between various countries were noted in the S. pneumoniae resistance rates observed for penicillin (0-79.

Fluoroquinolone resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes.

Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from blood and urine samples obtained from a 78-year-old woman was tested for susceptibility, and fluoroquinolone resistance (minimum inhibitory concentration of levofloxacin, 16 microg/mL) was found. DNA amplification and sequencing revealed a serine81-->tyrosine substitution in gyrA and 2 substitutions in parC: serine79-->phenylalanine and alanine121-->valine. This is the second report of a clinical isolate of S.