I'm so sick of MRSA!!!!!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

MRSA is truly becoming an epidemic. Yesterday I was gowning, gloving and masking all day! I'm so tired of it. I shipped one patient who was septic shock from MRSA whose kidney function was going down the tubes, was on a vasopressor, etc. She had a right elbow MRSA cellulitis. She was having multiple problems including needing dialysis for her acute kidney failure

After I got her out the door I picked up one of my colleague's patients since her other one ended up on a vent. He's been here forever and a day with resp MRSA and we can't find LTC placement for him. Very nice, undemanding fellow whose care is of the complex sub-acute type, with multiple problems. Gown, glove, mask, gown, glove, mask, gown, glove, mask......

Those masks have a disgusting chemical smell, and the gowns are yucky and hot. Ugh, I'm sick of MRSA!!!

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Frankly, I think the gowning and stuff is a waste of time. The world has MRS, or will in another 20 minutes. It's shovelling sand (yeah, sand) against the tide.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Frankly, I think the gowning and stuff is a waste of time. The world has MRS, or will in another 20 minutes. It's shovelling sand (yeah, sand) against the tide.

I think you may be right, Sue.

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

We carry out U/P but don't wear masks.

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Masks? We use contact precautions for MRSA isolations: gowns and gloves. It's spread through contact, not airborne...?

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Specializes in Public Health.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, all of the patients in my unit are automatically put on contact precautions.

It took me a while to get used to it, so I feel your pain.

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Specializes in NICU.
Frankly, I think the gowning and stuff is a waste of time. The world has MRS, or will in another 20 minutes. It's shovelling sand (yeah, sand) against the tide.

I agree with what you are saying... BUT we still need to protect our patients who DO NOT yet have MRSA...

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.
Masks? We use contact precautions for MRSA isolations: gowns and gloves. It's spread through contact, not airborne...?

MRSA can be spread through respiratory droplets, and in a case like that, droplet precautions, which include masks, would be indicated.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

We are required to mask for respiratory MRSA, in addition to gloving and gowning.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Sue, I agree with you to a point. But I also think that healthcare workers having that opinion may be a small reason why it is as prevalient (sp?) as it is now. We still need to do our best not to pass it to other patients that dont' have it, especially ones with already compromised conditions.

My granddaddy developed MRSA on his knee. The doc told him "oh its no big deal, you don't need to do anything different". Since that time, every member of his house have it, including his 4 year old granddaugther. But, mom and I tried to tell them...but the doc and nurses said... So, basically I think if they had not treated it so casually in his case, then 4 more cases would have been avoided.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.
I agree with what you are saying... BUT we still need to protect our patients who DO NOT yet have MRSA...

Exactly. Considering that while community acquired MRSA is on the rise, the majority of MRSA cases in the US are still hospital acquired. We have an obligation to protect our patients from infection. Good infection control practices do decrease the transmission of MRSA.

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Sue, I agree with you to a point. But I also think that healthcare workers having that opinion may be a small reason why it is as prevalient (sp?) as it is now. We still need to do our best not to pass it to other patients that dont' have it, especially ones with already compromised conditions.

My granddaddy developed MRSA on his knee. The doc told him "oh its no big deal, you don't need to do anything different". Since that time, every member of his house have it, including his 4 year old granddaugther. But, mom and I tried to tell them...but the doc and nurses said... So, basically I think if they had not treated it so casually in his case, then 4 more cases would have been avoided.

I think it's a doomed effort. And MRSA is just staph, which everyone has somewhere on their body. It's when it gets where it doesn't belong that we have issues.

How many people are on full precautions because of MRSA in the nares? Ridiculous.

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