Contact Isolation for everyone?

[RNperdiem, RN]

When I float to my hospital's burn unit, all patients are treated as contact isolation patients. We must gown and glove to enter the rooms, and everything inside the room is regarded as contaminated.

Is this common in burn units?

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

I only did a day in the BICU during my med/surg clinicals, but yes, that's how it was.

[hdigh]

Yes, we do that, too; but I do think it's a fairly new protocol... perhaps a study even. Makes sense, though, because burn patients are missing their first line of defense against bacteria (skin), not to mention having somewhat (or extremely) compromised immunity due to severe trauma. I'm glad to do it if it helps, but it is rather tedious and HOT!

[theatredork]

I think it's more to protect the patient from us, so in a way it's like reverse isolation procedures you'd see on an oncology floor with neutropenic precautions. It is tedious, but if it helps prevent infection, I'm all for it.

I might change my mind in the summer months though.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I think recently there has been a bug going around the burn unit. I can't spell it, but it begins with A and has 6 syllables. It should be a spelling bee word.

I think the gowning is a permanent change though.

[UMichSCN07]

Sounds like maybe Acinetobacter. We have a couple of those in our burn unit, although VRE and C. Diff are much more common.

My burn unit only puts patients in contact precautions for C. Diff, antibiotic resistance (VRE, MDR Acinetobacter, etc., NOT MRSA), or if they are >10% burned and their dressings are down for rounds or during changes.

Mike in Michigan

[heygurlhey]

We treated everyone in the burn ICU as a contact patient. Its mostly to protect the patients from what we are carrying into the room. Skin is the first line of defense, something of which those patients are in short supply!