Nosocomial infection control

Specialties NICU

Published

Specializes in neonatal.

Hi!

Do you have any protocol on your units about prevention nosocomial infection?

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

We don't have one particular protocol, just several separate policies that apply...

Here are a few:

-3 minute scrub up to elbows before entering unit (chlorhexidine)

-Swab all IV/IA access ports with alcohol swabs for 15 sec, allow to dry before each access.

- All lipid tubing, med tubing changed q day, others, including triple-ports q 72h

-rotate lumens with double lumen catheters (nutrition/gtts in one lumen, meds, antibiotics through the other, rotate daily. (recent policy, since we usually ended up never running abt's through 2nd lumen, leading to higher infection rates., also we are now drawing blood cultures from BOTH lumens to make sure one or the other isn't infected)

-cluster care, eg, don't change a diaper, then give an IV med or OG feed.

-We switched to chlorhexidine swabs for IV/umbilical/PICC line starts, and have had decreased infection rates....

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Specializes in neonatal.

Hi! When you change your vent tracheas, gastric tube,babys incubator, - q72h, q 5d, q 7d, SOS?

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).
Hi! When you change your vent tracheas, gastric tube,babys incubator, - q72h, q 5d, q 7d, SOS?

We have only had 1 trach since I started working 2 yrs ago...Thanks to Infasurf, we hardly ever have such severe CLD that they need a trach..anyway we changed the inner cannula once a day.

Isolettes are changed q 2 weeks, spot cleaned prn.

NG/OG tubes are changed q 7days, more often if slimy and gross.

Stephen

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