Healthcare Associated Infection HAI News and Research

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New study details design and validation of accurate screening test for detecting deadly HAIs

A new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute details the design and validation of a low-cost, rapid and highly accurate screening tool -- known as KlebSeq -- for potentially deadly healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), such as Klebsiella pneumoniae.

2 Sep 2016

Household transmission of C. difficile to children, pets may be cause for community-related infections

Household transmission of Clostridium difficile to pets and children may be a source of community-associated C. difficile infections according to findings from a new study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

30 Aug 2016

Common practice of storing patient's used respiratory devices in plastic bags results in infections

Infection Prevention Products Inc. releases lab results and test studies that prove the common practice of storing a patient's used respiratory devices in plastic bags is spreading pathogens and resulting in respiratory infections throughout thousands of nursing homes in the U.S.

27 Aug 2016

Understanding brain circuit development: an interview with Dr Hollis Cline

There's a tremendous amount known about brain circuit development. Our work was inspired by experiments that were done over 50 years ago by scientists at Harvard University, Hubel and Wiesel. They received a Nobel Prize for their work and have inspired many additional experiments over the last 50 or 60 years.

10 Aug 2016

FDA approves new injection to improve blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Adlyxin (lixisenatide), a once-daily injection to improve glycemic control (blood sugar levels), along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.

28 Jul 2016

External stimulation guides brain circuit’s early development

A healthy brain has just the right ratio of cells that enhance signals (excitatory neurons) and cells that tone down signals (inhibitory neurons). These two sets of neurons start out looking exactly the same, so what determines their roles?

27 May 2016

Sheffield Hallam scientists developing technology to identify risk of caesarean wound infections

Women who have a high body mass index (BMI) are most at risk of developing an infection after a caesarean section, which presents problems for new mothers. But, scientists at Sheffield Hallam's Centre for Health and Social Care Research believe thermal images taken around the area of the wound could detect signs of potential infection just 48 hours after surgery.

7 Mar 2016

Impact of central catheter maintenance bundle on central line-associated bloodstream infections

A central catheter maintenance bundle developed to prevent a common healthcare-associated infection had an immediate effect of decreasing rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections, according to a study in the American Journal of Critical Care.

2 Mar 2016

Diamonds may hold key to the future for NMR and MRI technologies

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley have demonstrated that diamonds may hold the key to the future for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies.

17 Dec 2015

Complex numeric data on hospital-acquired infections confuses consumers

Patients have difficulty deciphering complex numeric data on healthcare-associated infections used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help consumers choose hospitals, according to a new study published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

24 Nov 2015

New Series urges renewed focus to combat antimicrobial resistance, highlights lack of access to antimicrobial drugs

The global fight against antimicrobial resistance could be under threat unless the evidence base for policies to control resistance is radically improved, according to a major new Series, published in The Lancet.

20 Nov 2015

AHRQ releases new toolkit to help prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals

As part of its ongoing efforts to make health care safer, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a new toolkit to help hospitals prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs).

19 Nov 2015

UIC selected as one of six research centers to help control infectious diseases in health facilities

The University of Illinois at Chicago has been selected as one of six research centers in the U.S. to help develop a comprehensive new strategy to control Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases in health facilities.

6 Oct 2015

Preventing the build up of dangerous biofilms, ESCMID publishes guidelines

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) – an organization that explores the risks and best practices in infectious disease – advocates the need for greater education, guidance and research on the build-up, treatment and prevention of biofilms, which contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

2 Sep 2015

No single genetic strain associated with the worst cases of C. difficile infections

No single genetic strain of the widespread Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) bacteria appears to be any more harmful than other strains, according to new research published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

21 Aug 2015

Major gaps found in existing evidence for best practices for cleaning hospital room surfaces to prevent HAIs

Tray tables, bed rails, light switches, and toilets: All are common vectors for swapping germs between patients and health care workers. While a new systematic overview in this week's Annals of Internal Medicine points to several promising cleaning tactics of these "high-touch surfaces," there's a lack of evidence as to which is the most effective at reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

11 Aug 2015

Ambulance services should be assessed on reassurance and response time

Ambulance services should be assessed on how reassured patients and their families feel during an emergency as well as on response times, researchers have found.

1 Jul 2015

Kalorama Information: NGS diagnostics can detect any number of genetic variants

Next generation sequencing may be able to bypass some of the downside of molecular testing and in doing so earn its place in clinical testing, according to Kalorama Information.

30 Jun 2015

Kenall Manufacturing introduces light fixture to kill harmful bacteria linked to HAIs

Kenall Manufacturing today introduced Indigo-Clean, a light fixture that uses Continuous Environmental Disinfection technology to continuously kill harmful bacteria linked to hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The technology behind Indigo-Clean inactivates a wide range of micro-organisms that are known causes of HAIs, including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), C.difficile and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus).

27 Jun 2015

Hill-Rom Hand Hygiene Compliance Solution increases hand washing among hospital staff

New data from Hill-Rom shows its hand-hygiene compliance system dramatically increases hand washing among hospital staff using the system. Analysis of more than 20 million instances of hand washing shows institutions using Hill-Rom's Hand Hygiene Compliance Solution have achieved an average 226% improvement in compliance, with some institutions showing compliance by caregivers nearly tripled.

26 Jun 2015