A Super Superbug??
- Thread starter entwisi
- Start date
going back a few years i was told that a chap that lived on our street died when he scratched himself on a blackberry bush? its weird that things happen to some and not others inn-it.
Don't get too scared Entwisi........your chance of getting this is really quite remote.
It is a bacterium known as Staphylococcus Aureus. 30% of people carry this bacteria on the skin, usually under your arms and in your groin areas.......it is also present in the nose too. It is a commensal, that means it doesn't produce any illness UNLESS it gets into your body through a cut or an abrasion......then it can cause problems.
Impetigo,furunculosis(boils) cellulitis and Toxic Shock Syndrome are all caused by Staph Aureus.
There are a number of strains of Staph Aureus......fewer than 5% will have the toxic effects of the Panton Valentine Leukocidin.......which is what is thought to have caused the death of this fit young man. This strain of Staph aureus produces a cellular toxin which overwhelms the body in a very short space of time.
It is a bacterium known as Staphylococcus Aureus. 30% of people carry this bacteria on the skin, usually under your arms and in your groin areas.......it is also present in the nose too. It is a commensal, that means it doesn't produce any illness UNLESS it gets into your body through a cut or an abrasion......then it can cause problems.
Impetigo,furunculosis(boils) cellulitis and Toxic Shock Syndrome are all caused by Staph Aureus.
There are a number of strains of Staph Aureus......fewer than 5% will have the toxic effects of the Panton Valentine Leukocidin.......which is what is thought to have caused the death of this fit young man. This strain of Staph aureus produces a cellular toxin which overwhelms the body in a very short space of time.
Oh...... I forgot to say that 75% of the people affected by this strain will die.
Hope that has cheered you up a bit.
Hope that has cheered you up a bit.
Well......all I'm saying here is that you don't need to blow the dust off your insurance policies.
Lazeeboy.......I'm a retired health professional.
Neil just make sure that folks wash their hands......and take in some antiseptic wipes for the locker top.......having said that most of the nurses that I know carry around alcohol gel to clean their hands with.
Hope whatever you are having done is straight forward and that you get well soon.
Younger fit folk don't tend to be so much at risk.........and before you say that the Marine was young and fit.......he was the exception to the rule........and it was a very uncommon occurence. He was probably carrying that bug around with him and if he had not grazed his skin on the gorse bush he would probably still be alive.
Neil just make sure that folks wash their hands......and take in some antiseptic wipes for the locker top.......having said that most of the nurses that I know carry around alcohol gel to clean their hands with.
Hope whatever you are having done is straight forward and that you get well soon.
Younger fit folk don't tend to be so much at risk.........and before you say that the Marine was young and fit.......he was the exception to the rule........and it was a very uncommon occurence. He was probably carrying that bug around with him and if he had not grazed his skin on the gorse bush he would probably still be alive.
Another thing about Staph Aureus is that something like 30% of the population carry this organism on their skin........so the increase in visitors, visiting times and the fact that patients move around the hospital......to the cafeteria etc means that the bug can travel.
When I first started nursing it was unusual for patients to leave the ward for anything other than diagnostic tests.......visiting was twice a day.......45 minutes each time......there were only ever 2 visitors to a bed.........and patients took a bath before theatre (so if THEY were carrying the Staph Aureus there was some chance that a bath would remove it......albeit temporarily) These days nurses can suggest that patients bathe, but cannot enforce it.......more and more surgery is being done on a day case basis and if a patient says they have had a bath or a shower then the nurse will accept this.
So there is far more to the MRSA debate than meets the eye.
In the Blackburn Hospitals there is a well developed Control of Infection team who do monitor infection rates........and advises on good practice.
When I first started nursing it was unusual for patients to leave the ward for anything other than diagnostic tests.......visiting was twice a day.......45 minutes each time......there were only ever 2 visitors to a bed.........and patients took a bath before theatre (so if THEY were carrying the Staph Aureus there was some chance that a bath would remove it......albeit temporarily) These days nurses can suggest that patients bathe, but cannot enforce it.......more and more surgery is being done on a day case basis and if a patient says they have had a bath or a shower then the nurse will accept this.
So there is far more to the MRSA debate than meets the eye.
In the Blackburn Hospitals there is a well developed Control of Infection team who do monitor infection rates........and advises on good practice.
Does what work Vorlon......?
They keep talking about bringing back the Matron.......but this is a problem that is multi-faceted........and needs to be approached as such.
In the days when Matrons word was law the structure of nursing was different.......the junior nurses did lots of the cleaning jobs......it was the first year student or the cadet who would be given the job of cleaning the locker tops.......we did an awful lot of what was called damp dusting........scrubbing the stainless steel bedpans and cleaning out the ceramic sputum pots.
Things were vastly different.........if Matron said 'jump'......you asked 'how high and how long do you want me to stay up' the student nurses of today would not accept this kind of treatment.......nor should they.
In the days when Matrons word was law the structure of nursing was different.......the junior nurses did lots of the cleaning jobs......it was the first year student or the cadet who would be given the job of cleaning the locker tops.......we did an awful lot of what was called damp dusting........scrubbing the stainless steel bedpans and cleaning out the ceramic sputum pots.
Things were vastly different.........if Matron said 'jump'......you asked 'how high and how long do you want me to stay up' the student nurses of today would not accept this kind of treatment.......nor should they.
Well, it is 2 years since I left the NHS......but they were pretty hot when I was working......and they used to turn up on the ward unannounced and just watch what was going on.
The Ward that I worked on was used for pilot schemes......and we would report every Monday morning on what ops had been done the previous week and what infections there had been...if any.
I would be quite happy to go into the hospital that I worked in.......and we had two superb ward cleaners, who were included in the team.......what I mean by that is that they were involved in the things that were going on in the way of improvements.
We had Kings Fund Approval and just before I finished we were awarded Chartermark.
The Ward that I worked on was used for pilot schemes......and we would report every Monday morning on what ops had been done the previous week and what infections there had been...if any.
I would be quite happy to go into the hospital that I worked in.......and we had two superb ward cleaners, who were included in the team.......what I mean by that is that they were involved in the things that were going on in the way of improvements.
We had Kings Fund Approval and just before I finished we were awarded Chartermark.
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MRSA has always been about.......in my day it was called Multi-Resistant Staph Aureus......and if you worked on a surgical ward you could be sure that if there was rise in the number of infections, you would be required to have nasal swabs done.....if they came back positive you were sent off duty until they were negative.
There is far more openness in the NHS now which is why we hear about rates of MRSA.
There is far more openness in the NHS now which is why we hear about rates of MRSA.
Infection control are still as hot as ever at Blackburn Margaret. I am attending a day with them in the next couple of weeks in order to become a liaison type person for the delivery suite. This is a new thing where each ward will have somebody responsible for teaching new employees infection control techniques ie, handwashing. This includes visitors as they never wash their hands and they come in with all manner of illnesses. It is not uncommon for visitors with coughs and colds to visit a relative when she has had a new baby. I know of one woman who brought her child to with her to antenatal clinic when the child had German Measles. Her husband came with her, he could have stayed at home and looked after the kiddie. We had to then find all of our patients Rubella statuses for that day and test those who were in early pregnancy and not yet been tested. Some people are just thoughtless.
I think that visiting should be kept to next of kin only, as there is no doubt that hospital visitors are adding to the infection rates.
I think that visiting should be kept to next of kin only, as there is no doubt that hospital visitors are adding to the infection rates.
The last time I was in Accy Vic with my wife attending an antenatal visit I was listening to two of the midwifes talking. One was saying how they had been instructed not to wear cardigans because you can't wash your hands properly with long sleeves on, she also mentioned about how they are not supposed to wear wrist watches for the same reason. The other midwife said something like " they should live in the real world ". Needless to say she was wearing a cardigan and wrist watch. What annoyed me most was her attitude about it. I then started looking at other nurses and doctors walking about. Many wore wrist watches and all the doctors wore long sleeve shirts. if someone is making rules nobody is enforcing them at Accy Vic.
As for bathing Margaret, I intend to get in the bath on Monday and get out just before I leave home on tuesday morning
As for bathing Margaret, I intend to get in the bath on Monday and get out just before I leave home on tuesday morning