So upset about VRE!!!

[Deb123j]

I was working Wed night c a pt who had c-diff...no biggie. At 2300 while reading my pts hx from the docs notes, I found out that she had a hx of VRE. I'm 6 mo pregnant! Luckily once I told the charge nurse, I was able to switch pts, but it still concerns me about my baby. So frustrating. They actually tried to stick me with the same pt last night...unbelievable!!!

[lamazeteacher]

If I wasn't pregnant...I wouldn't care, however there has to be some reason that my ob said NOT to take care of a pt who has VRE, because it's dangerous for my baby.

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There are so many things to avoid during pregnancy that could be worse! (Like coccidiomycosis from changing cat litter, eating too much mercury laden seafood, and a true exposure to HIV, HepC, etc., ) However, I know that doesn't ease your worries.

What could ease them, is going to your Employee Health Nurse with your concerns. She/he can run stool cultures for you, on several occasions, and if (God forbid you acquired the organism from your patient) it can be successfully treated with antibiotics to which it responds.

I've been an Infection Control Nurse and an Employee Health Nurse, and welcomed professionals doing the professional thing (coming to see me when concerned about acquiring something through the workplace). The records kept in those departments don't get read by anyone else. While Universal Precautions is effective, we always wonder if we did everything we could, especially when our actions could affect a baby.

I hope you're taking preparation for childbirth classes with a teacher you like, who bugs you to practice, practice, practice the techniques for labor, until they're second nature!

So be thankful today especially, and pro-actively go about having your anxiety assuaged. Have a great birth and a healthy baby and postpartum course. Life is good.

[lamazeteacher]

Our health region has a "significant organism" isolation protocol for drug-resistant organisms. It includes single-patient room with door closed, mask-gown-gloves PPE for all who enter the room, single use or dedicated equipment and of course handwashing. We also have a surveillance program that requires all patients on the unit at the same time as a patient with either VRE of MRSA be swabbed weekly for six weeks or the duration of their hospitalization, whichever comes first. To have the "VRE-Positive" status removed and isolation discontinued, patients have to have three consecutive negative weekly swabs. We don't distinguish between pregnant and non-pregnant nurses for any infectious agent, even CMV, because it is expected that our isolation practices are followed to the letter. If one thinks about the modes of transmission and protects oneself appropriately the risk is VERY low. The mode of transmission in VRE is direct contact with colonized or infected body parts, most notably the lady parts, perineum and orifice. Gloves? Of course!! Handwashing? Naturally. Risk? Minimal if proper technique is used! The only nurses who would be exempt from caring for isolated patients are those on immunosuppressive treatment for cancer, lupus or organ transplant.

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Here is another affirmation of the efficacy of Canada's HealthCare system, which echews costly insurance company profits, facilities' decorative over spending and the purchase of expensive equipment that every hospital doesn't have to have.

Bravo for having and sharing with us, your extremely effective and unfortunately for those of us in the USA, seldom seen here, functionally sound Infection Control programs!

[Hilinenursegrl]

http://www.gentlebirth.org/vre/vremain.html#What

This link has alot of helpful information and the only thing I could find pertaining to babies was that it is harmful to newborns because of their immature immune system. Please read it and talk to your dr about it.

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

That's interesting...I think sometimes OB's have different points of view on stuff. Mine told me to just avoid the chemo patients until the 48 hour mark, and that there was no problem with me taking care of any kind of isolation patient as long as I was diligent about my PPE. I took care of many many many VRE/MRSA/c-diff/hep C patients while I was pregnant. Co-workers wouldn't let me have the active TB patients, otherwise I'd have been in there as well.