title: Modern trends in infection control practices in intensive care units.
abstract: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There has been an increasing effort to prevent HAIs, and infection control practices are paramount in avoiding these complications. In the last several years, numerous developments have been seen in the infection prevention strategies in various health care settings. This article reviews the modern trends in infection control practices to prevent HAIs in ICUs with a focus on methods for monitoring hand hygiene, updates in isolation precautions, new methods for environmental cleaning, antimicrobial bathing, prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and Clostridium difficile infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA sumanth.gandra@umassmemorial.org.
authors.forename: Sumanth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gandra
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Ellison
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000517:prevention & control; D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D062905:Central Venous Catheters / Q000009:adverse effects; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000517:prevention & control; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006797:Housekeeping, Hospital / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000592:standards; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000517:prevention & control; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012307:Risk Factors; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control
keywords: catheter-associated urinary tract infection; central line-associated bloodstream infections; hospital-acquired infection; infection control practices; intensive care units; ventilator-associated pneumonia