Two-Phase Hospital-Associated Outbreak of Mycobacterium abscessus: Investigation and Mitigation.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) commonly colonize municipal water supplies and cause healthcare-associated outbreaks. We investigated a biphasic outbreak of Mycobacterium abscessus at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: Case patients had recent hospital exposure and laboratory-confirmed colonization or infection with M.

Outbreak of bacteremia due to Burkholderia contaminans linked to intravenous fentanyl from an institutional compounding pharmacy.

IMPORTANCE Many health care facilities compound medications on site to fulfill local demands when customized formulations are needed, national supply is critically low, or costs for manufactured pharmaceuticals are excessive. Small, institutional compounding facilities may perform the same high-risk procedures as large distributors of compounded medications. OBJECTIVES To investigate an outbreak related to contamination of compounded sterile preparations and to determine processes to prevent future outbreaks.

Observing and improving hand hygiene compliance: implementation and refinement of an electronic-assisted direct-observer hand hygiene audit program.

We implemented a direct-observer hand hygiene audit program that used trained observers, wireless data entry devices, and an intranet portal. We improved the reliability and utility of the data by standardizing audit processes, regularly retraining auditors, developing an audit guidance tool, and reporting weighted composite hand hygiene compliance scores.

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital subtraction mammography: feasibility.

A technique for demonstrating breast cancers, dual-energy contrast agent-enhanced digital subtraction mammography, was performed in 26 subjects with mammographic or clinical findings that warranted biopsy. The technique consists of high-energy and low-energy digital mammography after administration of iodinated contrast agent. Weighted subtraction of the logarithmic transform of these images is then performed to obtain an image that preferentially shows iodine.

Clinical comparison of full-field digital mammography and screen-film mammography for detection of breast cancer.

Objective: The purpose of this work is to compare full-field digital mammography and screen-film mammography for the detection of breast cancer in a screening population.

Subjects And Methods: Full-field digital mammography was performed in addition to screen-film mammography in 6736 examinations of women 40 years old and older presenting for screening mammography at either of two institutions. Two views of each breast were acquired with each technique.