Microbial Colonization in a New Intensive Care Burn Unit. A Prospective Cohort Study
Abstract
Renovation of an existing intensive care burn facility required closure for ten months. An interim eight-bed open intensive care ward (B) was established in a burn convalescence ward. The renovated unit (A) contained nine single-bed intensive care rooms and seven intermediate-level care beds in four rooms. Patients admitted to unit A were treated as a cohort. The first 25 admissions to unit A and the last 25 admissions to ward B meeting the inclusion criteria were compared. Microbial colonization was monitored by a fixed protocol of admission and multiple weekly sputum, wound, stool, and urine cultures. During intensive care, both cohorts exhibited the same incidence of gram- negative wound, sputum, and urine colonization. Occurrence of antibiotic- resistant organisms was the same. No evidence of bacterial cross-contamination was observed between A and B. A continuation of Providencia stuartil and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (type 15) endemics occurred in B. The collected data demonstrate that the A cohort was colonized with new, similar but distinct gram- negative organisms and indicate that cohort separation may be a practical way of eliminating endemic resistant gram-negative organisms from burn units. (Reprints).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA157263
Entities
People
- A. D. Mason Jr.
- A. R. Aitcheson
- A. T. Mcmanus
- B. A. Pruitt Jr.
- W. F. Mcmanus
Organizations
- United States Army Institute of Surgical Research