238 infection control

asepsis

absence of illness-producing micro-organisms

Medical asepsis/clean technique

the use of precise practices to reduce the number, growth, and spread of micro-organisms

medical asepsis is generally..

happens all the time, not specific to a place​

Surgical asepsis/sterile technique

precise practices to reduce all microorganisms to prevent surgical site infection

where is surgical asepsis occur and practiced?

for surgery

“a” means

without

localized infections

confined to one area of the body

what are the symptoms of localized infections

redness, swelling, warmth, pain, tenderness, drainage, numbness or tingling, and loss of infection to the affected are. - THINK SURFACE LEVEL ABNORMALITIES

systemic infection

Start as local infections and then spread to the bloodstream

what are the symptoms of systemic infection

fever, increases in heart and respiratory rates, lethargy, anorexia, tenderness of enlargement of lymph nodes (immune system is kicked in, and is trying to fight the infection)

If there is an elevated WBC count in lab data…

immune system is kicking in and is fighting an infection​

ESR

elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate

what is esr

This measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a test tube. A faster rate indicates inflammation, which is accompanied with infection. When they settle, they do that because over time, they're heavier than plasma. The lab measures how many millimeters of red blood cells settle in one hour. Normally, they settle slowly because they repel each other ad stay suspended. However, during inflammation, proteins(fibrinogen) causes blood to stick together, which causes stacks, which become heavier and settle faster, causing ESR to increase. ​

urine and blood cultures can…

Identify the specific microorganism causing the infection. Cultures are crucial for selecting the right antibiotic treatment​

hygiene for c.diff

use soap and water. c. diff has spores that are resistant to alcohol, so hand sanitizers wont work

patient are more susceptible to what?

more at risk of infection when they have medical devices (drain, iv, catheter due to them being portals of entry)

patients with chronic illnesses are…

more susceptible of infection, due to some medications that can cause their body to become more immunocompromised

as we age…

our immune systems become weaker due to old age

Hand hygiene is

the single-most important component toreduce infection transmission

n95 mask is required for

TB and COVID 19

private rooms have…

negative pressure; prevents room air from leaving the room, keeping the pathogen inside of the room

contact precautions examples

• Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs)​

• Respiratory Synytial virus (RSV)​

• Scabies and herpes simplex virus (HSV)​

• Draining wounds in which certain organisms have been cultured​

droplet precautions diseases

• Mumps

• rubella

• pertussis

• streptococcal pharyngitis

• scarlet fever

• pneumonias

• pneumonic plague

• meningococcal sepsis

• influenza​

airborne diseases

• Varicella or disseminated varicella zoster (chickenpox)​

• Rubeola (measles)​

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis (pulmonary or laryngeal tuberculosis)​

protective isolation are for…

for patients who are immunocompromised

protective isolation uses what kind of HEPA filtration system?

positive pressure room: Air flows out of the room, preventing outside contaminants from entering the room​, this type of isolation focuses on keeping germs OUT of the room​

immunocompromised patients include

transplant patients - immune systems are intentionally suppressed to preventrejection of the transplanted organ​

Health care–associated infections (HAIs)​

Infections acquired in a healthcare facility ​

impact of HAIs

prolonged recovery, disability, and increased costs​

Name 4 Health care–associated infections (HAIs)​

Resistant organism, blood-borne pathogens, respiratory tract and urinary tract infections

resistant organism

bacteria that do not respond to standard antibiotics(antibiotic resistance, e.g. MRSA – multidrug resistant)​

blood-borne pathogens

spread through contaminated needles or bloodproducts (e.g. blood transfusions)​

respiratory tract infection

often linked to ventilators or improper hygiene​

Urinary tract infections:

frequently associated with indwelling catheters ​