Bed bugs and contact precautions

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What is your hospital policy regarding precautions for a pt with known bed bugs? Do you maintain contact for the entire length of stay? What about belongings? Can they stay in the room double bagged or do they need to be sent home? What is the process for cleaning the room after discharge?

Just curious as our hospital does not seem to have a clear written down policy and I am concerned because ID has said that as long as their stuff has been bagged and they have been showered there is no need for precautions.

Thanks for your responses!!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Seriously, be EXTRA careful with those things. Once you have them, they are extremely difficult to get rid of.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

We just found them in our unit....came in on a car seat the parents brought in...we found bite marks on the baby because she had to have a car seat challenge that lasted over an hour and we keep our rooms dim :( we had to double bag everything that was in the room, including the 5 other babies stuff that was in there. We then took the babies out one by one after we totally checked them out and put them in another room in new beds. The mom of the affected baby was not allowed back in until we had proof that her apartment had been treated. The room the kid was in was then sealed and fumigated .

What a nightmare!! Other floor in our hospital have had them too and they double bag everything, the patient has to shower with hibicleanse and the room is stripped and treated. They only maintain contact isolation until all that is done, but anyone living with them is denied visitation until proof of their living space being treated is given.

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