Washing hands is a smart preventive; so is washing trauma patients
Doctors at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle found that patients given a daily antiseptic wipe down were much less likely to develop a catheter-related bloodstream infection than patients who received a daily, non-antiseptic wipe down. They were also much less likely to develop either a MRSA or Acinetobacter infection.
The full study results, released online Monday, were published in the March issue of Archives of Surgery. Here's a news release from Infection Control Today, plus the abstract. And here's the Reuters health story with a disturbing twist at the end.
If you're interested in the antiseptic used, here's information on chlorhexidine from Mayo Clinic. For at-home use, soap and water should suffice.
-- Tami Dennis
Photo: The trauma's bad enough, but then can come the infections...
Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times