Reducing SSIs in the Era of Payment Reform

Colonized patients are up to 9 times more likely to develop an SSI,¹ and more than 8 out of 10 cases of S.aureus bacteremia are believed to be caused by a patient’s own flora.^2,3 Knowing if a patient is colonized with MRSA or S. aureus can enable targeted infection control practices prior to surgery. However, traditional culture techniques may miss MRSA colonization in up to a third of the cases.^4,5

Routine molecular testing and targeted decolonization of patients colonized with MRSA/S. aureus prior to surgery may be an effective strategy for preventing surgical site infections.
References
1. Kluytmans J, et al. Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus: epidemiology, underlying mechanisms, and associated risks. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1997;10:505-20.
2. von Eiff C, et al. Nasal carriage as a source of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Study Group. N Engl J Med. 2001;344:11-6.
3. Critchley IA. Eradication of MRSA nasal colonization as a strategy for infection prevention. Drug Discov Today Ther Strateg. 2006;3:189-95.
4. Wisniewski, TR. Comparison of Bio-Rad MRSA Select Agar with BBL ChromAgar for MRSA Nares Swab Surveillance Cultures in VISN 12. ASM2008;C-130.
5. Nahimana I, et al. Evaluation of three chromogenic media (MRSA-ID, MRSA-Select and CHROMagar MRSA) and ORSAB for surveillance cultures of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006; 12:1168-74.