Relationship between shared patient care items and healthcare-associated infections: a systematic review.

Background: Environmental surfaces may contribute to transmission of nosocomial pathogens. Noninvasive portable clinical items potentially shared among patients (NPIs) are part of the patient's immediate surroundings and may pose a threat of pathogen transmission.

Objective: To assess the body of literature describing the range of microorganisms found on NPIs and evaluate the evidence regarding the potential for cross-transmission of microorganisms between NPIs and hospitalized patients in non-outbreak conditions.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of selective digestive decontamination using oral gentamicin and oral polymyxin E for eradication of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of selective digestive decontamination (SDD) for eradicating carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal carriage.

Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 7 weeks of follow-up per patient.

Setting: A 1,000-bed tertiary-care university hospital.

A multifaceted intervention strategy for eradication of a hospital-wide outbreak caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Southern Israel.

Objective: To devise a local strategy for eradication of a hospital-wide outbreak caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP).

Design: Quasi-experimental, before-and-after, interrupted time-series study.

Setting: A 1,000-bed tertiary-care university teaching hospital.

Risk factors for developing clinical infection with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in hospital patients initially only colonized with carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae.

Background: This study examined predictors of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) colonization and risk factors for the development of CRKP infection in patients initially only colonized with CRKP.

Methods: A total of 464 patients with CRKP rectal colonization (CRKP-RC) were identified. Two case-control studies were performed, one comparing risk factors for CRKP-RC in patients who did not develop CRKP infection (CRKP-IN) versus patients without CRKP-RC and CRKP-IN, and the other comparing CRKP-RC patients who did not develop CRKP-IN with those who did.

Attributable mortality rate for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia.

Objective: To determine the attributable (direct) mortality and morbidity caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia.

Design: A matched retrospective, historical cohort design, using a stepwise procedure to stringently match the best control subjects to the best case subjects.

Setting: A 1,000-bed tertiary-care university teaching hospital.