Cross infection on a combined paediatric plastic surgery and burns unit: a clinical and microbiological audit.
To try and determine any presence of cross-infection between patients, prospective screening of 226 consecutive admissions on our burns unit was performed by taking nose, throat and wound swabs. Infected wounds were also swabbed and a correlation was sought between the organisms cultured on screening swabs and those responsible for infection. We did not find any evidence of cross- infection occurring between the burns patients and the other categories of patients on the ward. Screening swabs were useful in detecting carriers, who were found to be more of a risk to themselves than to other patients on the unit.
Camilleri
I G
IG
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK. i.g.camilleri@ncl.ac.uk
Pedler
S J
SJ
Murphy
O
O
Reid
C A
CA
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D015897:Comorbidity; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008485:Medical Audit; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology