title: Environmental decontamination following occupancy of a burns patient with multiple carbapenemase-producing organisms.
abstract: Over the last decade, carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) have spread worldwide, becoming a major public health concern. This article reports the authors' experience in dealing with a burns patient infected with CPOs, and the decontamination methods employed to render a burns shock room safe for re-use. The shock room was cleaned after being vacated, but environmental sampling cultured multiple CPOs. A second decontamination was undertaken comprising a detergent, steam and hypochlorite clean followed by hydrogen peroxide misting, and no CPOs were cultured after subsequent environmental sampling. A burns patient harbouring CPOs contaminates the surroundings heavily, so standard cleaning is insufficient to reduce the environmental bioburden.
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: mark.garvey@uhb.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Garvey
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jumaa
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001618:beta-Lactamases; C063912:carbapenemase
keywords: Burns; Carbapenemase-producing organisms; Cleaning; Decontamination; Environmental sampling