MRSA in the family

[Mistyz]

Wondering what you all think I should do. I work in a large NICU. My husband was recently hospitalized and found to have MRSA. Although I've been tested many times and have always been neg. I wonder if I brought this home on my clothes and infected him. I feel guilty, but my question is should I notify my manager or not. I plan to be retested prior to working again, but the I think the chances of eventual colonization are good. Has anyone been found to be colonized , what does your unit do, and should I consider a job change. I would feel awful if I infected a premie. thanks

[EJSRN, BSN, RN]

It was not my intention to insult anyone. I am just so tired of inaccurate statements and the ensuing helplessness that is so common around MRSA.

My father died of hospital Acquired MRSA pneumonia Jan 9. He was the third that I am aware of that died as a result of HA MRSA in the last few months at his 25 bed community hospital.

I am working diligently to get MRSA mandates for active screening and Isolation in my state of Maine. So, I have studied all I can get my eyes on about MRSA. The gossip about MRSA is rampant. All of us nurses need to be on the same page about MRSA so we can create a culture (no pun intended) of prevention rather than a culture of reaction, gossip, complacency and inconsistancies.

My current hope is to get mandates in Maine. My future hope is that the CDC will wake up to the endemics in the majority of our nations hospitals and mandate active screening, isolation, prevention, education and reporting nationwide.

The "studies" are in. Research and data are wonderful, but many thousands of people are dead and maimed by HA MRSA and it needs to be stopped. These infections are preventable.

Hello, seems like you know your stuff. MRSA is soo confusing to me. If a pt has an open wound with MRSA they are placed on isolation. If that very same pt comes in a yr later with something completely unrelated they are placed on precautions for History of MRSA even though the open wound has been closed for months. ??? Would love to hear your insight

[Scrubby]

Hello, seems like you know your stuff. MRSA is soo confusing to me. If a pt has an open wound with MRSA they are placed on isolation. If that very same pt comes in a yr later with something completely unrelated they are placed on precautions for History of MRSA even though the open wound has been closed for months. ??? Would love to hear your insight

This is a pet peeve of mine.

We often do day of surgery admission patients with MRSA. Quite often the MRSA was present in a wound that they had years ago that is long healed. We can't understand why they aren't tested before their surgery so we don't have to do additional precautions, have to don the isolation gown (which is thrown out afterwards and contribtues to more landfill) and isolate them after the surgery.

[boxerretreat]

Fellow nurses-

I am doing a presentation on CA-MRSA for my MSN degree practicum.. are there any suggestions as to what the most important areas to cover are? The question that the origional posting asked sparked my attention and lead me to ask opinions.

[Mistyz]

Thanks for all the info. I did get cultured today and hope for a neg. I hear all the gossip about the "dirty" patients. Those in MRSA isolation. I don't want to pass on MRSA to a baby, but I'm also nervous about working with a group of nurses who gossip. The nurse with MRSA, what a topic that would be. Thanks again.

[Mammy1111]

It makes me angry to think that nurses call patients with MRSA or other HA MDROs patients dirty. My father was one of those patients and he died on Jan 9 because of it. It is the lack of preventative infection control policies that should protect those patients that is DIRTY. And it is DIRTY of Hospitals to be able to lie about the numbers of infections and deaths because of MDROs. It is also dirty business that hospitals can get you to sign a consent that relieves them of any liability, although they never read it to you or give you time to read it.

My father died of an unnecessary hospital acquired MRSA infection and if you could have seen the total disregard for precautions and total lack of screening for MRSA in that hospital, you would wonder why everybody there including the health care workers don't have MRSA.

Sorry, I felt the need to vent tonight. Nurses are not responsible for the lack of proper infection control policy in their hospitals. The gossip, the attitude of helplessness and hopelessness........it all needs to end and every hospital needs to get serious and prevent these infections. Contact your local and federal representatives and senators and demand change in our hospitals.

visit my webpage about my legislative proposal in Maine

[Mammy1111]

Hello, seems like you know your stuff. MRSA is soo confusing to me. If a pt has an open wound with MRSA they are placed on isolation. If that very same pt comes in a yr later with something completely unrelated they are placed on precautions for History of MRSA even though the open wound has been closed for months. ??? Would love to hear your insight

Apparently, some hospitals, by their own policies, consider any previously MRSA infected patient as an infected patient for any follow up visits. Some also do not reculture or screen patients that have tested positive previously and just go ahead and isolate them. It is good to isolate and use precautions with these patients. But, I see a problem with that if a patient has been decolonized once and then later is readmitted, will they attempt to decolonize them again before invasive procedures, if they don't even screen them for recolonization? Decolonizing is very important especially in patients who will be having invasive procedures such as joint replacements, CABG surgery, and other surgeries that are known to put colonized patients at risk for full blown MRSA infections.

There are a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of puzzles about MRSA, and its prevention. But, I know just pretending it doesn't exist, (like so many hospitals that don't bother with ANY active screening or isolation), exacerbates the problem. We have to start somewhere and Active detection and Isolation is an excellent proven method of prevention and an excellent place to start.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Based on what I learned from a former infection control nurse I would never tell my employer if I had a relative with MRSA or had contracted it myself. I would also avoid getting cultures of any wounds at my place of employment.

You can be responsible and protect your patients and still keep your own status private. They may not be able to fire you for MRSA status, but they can insist on mask/gown/gloves before all your patients whether you test positive or not (if you were once colonized). Basically it would make your work life miserable, and you would be typhoid mary whenever a patient contracts MRSA, not coworkers that forget to wash between patients.

Go to your physician and be clear that you want to do everything you can to prevent passing this on. You may choose to be cultured monthly for awhile until our husband tests positive. Take the antibiotics, do online searches, but telling your employer will not help anyone.