The process of physical cleaning of environmental surfaces using detergent (soap), water, and friction is the critical step required prior to surface disinfection. The combination of the cleaning and disinfection processes is designed to remove and kill vegetative microorganisms on surfaces. Disinfection will not be effective in the presence of dirt, blood, or other bio burden. The  goal of the cleaning step is to remove bio burden and with it, the majority of pathogens. Disinfection is designed to be a synergistic and somewhat redundant step to ensure comprehensive removal/kill of pathogens on surfaces.

The CDC’s Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008, states that, “noncritical surfaces (e.g., dialysis bed or chair, countertops, external surfaces of dialysis machines) should be disinfected with an EPA-registered disinfectant unless the item is visibly contaminated with blood. In that case, an EPA registered tuberculocidal agent with specific label claims for HBV and HIV should be used.”1 the commonly used disinfectant for blood contaminated environmental surfaces is a 1:100 dilution of bleach (500–600 parts per million [ppm] free chlorine).

The environmental surfaces in HD settings at highest risk of transmitting germs are described using different terms. From the perspective of the patient, the term “patient zone” is used to refer to the surfaces which the patient can touch, or can touch the patient, including the chair, armrests, bedside table top/counter, and drawer/cupboard handles. From the HCW or dialysis staff perspective, the term “high touch surfaces” is used to describe surfaces which are frequently touched by HCWs. These include the same surfaces in the patient zone in addition to others such as the exterior surfaces of the HD machine, computer screens, and keyboards. Cleaning and disinfection of these surfaces (patient zone/high touch surfaces) should be performed between all patient treatments, no matter what the patient diagnosis is, in order to prevent spread of environmentally transmitted pathogens including MDROs (e.g., MRSA, VRE, C. difficile) and bloodborne pathogens (e.g., HBV, HCV). Of note, microorganisms can live for varying periods of time in the environment. MRSA has been documented as viable at 38 weeks on external sterile packaging and VRE at 6 months on a wheelchair. HBV can survive for 7 days in dried blood.

There are certain products and principles which are recommended in order to optimize environmental cleaning in healthcare settings, including HD facilities. These include the following tasks which are typically performed by the dialysis nurse or technician.

• Store cleaner/disinfectant separately from skin antiseptics/patient supplies (separate shelves and below patient supplies to avoid potential contamination).

• Perform hand hygiene before and after cleaning the patient station.

• Don gloves when using cleaner/disinfectants.

• Use one set of cleaning cloths or disposable germicidal wipes for each patient station.

• Use microfiber cloths and mops if possible (more effective cleaning products than regular cotton cleaning cloths).

• Clean all frequently touched or “high touch” surfaces in the “patient zone” between patient treatments (chair, armrests, counters, drawer/cupboard handles, exterior surface of the HD machine)—please note that some of these high touch surfaces may be right outside the patient zone (e.g., computer stations), and must also be cleaned between patient treatments.

• Clean the top of an object first and work down to avoid soiling surfaces just cleaned.

• If using cleaning cloths instead of disposable germicidal wipes:

• When using a disinfectant cleaner, wet the surface, use friction to clean, and allow to air dry.

• Fold the cleaning cloth in a series of squares to provide a number of potential cleaning surfaces. A wadded cloth does not clean efficiently.

• Replace cloth as needed. More than one cloth may be required for a patient station.

• Never use the same cleaning cloth for more than one patient unit.

• Never re-dip used cloth into clean disinfectant solution.

Additional cleaning functions, typically performed by housekeeping staff in HD facilities, should include:

• At the end of the day:

• Wet mop the floor

• Clean patient/staff bathrooms and restock paper products/hand hygiene supplies

• Check and refill all hand hygiene product dispensers in nursing stations and at patient stations (soap, paper towels, lotion, alcohol-based hand sanitizer)

• On a routine basis, walls and high dusting should be performed.

Multi Drug Resistant Organisms Cleaning and Disinfection

Many healthcare workers believe the environment of patients with MDROs require special cleaning. Healthcare workers in HD facilities should clean the environment of the MDRO patient as they would for any patient, as many more patients than are known are colonized/infected with an MDRO. Cleaning involves the use of friction on environmental surfaces to physically remove the soil and germs. The wet contact time of the germicide on the surface helps kill or inactivate any remaining microorganisms. The exception is C. difficile, which requires removal by friction and is not inactivated by any surface disinfectant except bleach.

According to Mitchell Schwaber, MD, from the National Center for Infection Control of the Israel Ministry of Health, bacterial infection threats are not getting the attention they deserve given that the World Health Organization and public health agencies continue to focus on the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus. While methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has made headlines in recent years, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections have not. Generally, antibiotic resistant bacteria affect the elderly and unhealthy patients first, usually in hospitals, before migrating into the surrounding community. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, in the three decades it took to recognize the threat of MRSA, it had killed more than 18,000 people per year. Currently, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae has caused more than 100 deaths near New York City, while H1N1 has caused 436 deaths across the United States during the same four month period.

From “Don’t Forget the Bacterial Threat”

Wall Street Journal (08/12/09) Schwaber, Mitchell J.; Carmeli, Yehuda

Sit back and enjoy this short video on the history of today’s MRSA.

What is MRSA?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that causes serious infections that are resistant to many of the strongest antibiotics, including methicillin and other more commonly used antibiotics (including penicillin and amoxicillin). (1)

MRSA occurs most frequently among patients who undergo invasive medical procedures or who have weakened immune systems and are being treated in hospitals and healthcare facilities. (2) These healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) include surgical wound infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia. (3) People who have been hospitalized or had surgery within the past year or who are receiving treatments like dialysis are at increased risk for infections with MRSA. (4)

MRSA infections have risen sharply in recent years. In 1972, MRSA accounted for only two percent of all Staphylococcus aureus HAIs reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. (5) Recent data show that MRSA now accounts for 50 to 70 percent of Staphylococcus aureus infections. (6)

Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) organisms are common bacteria that can live on the skin and are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S. (7) The bacteria also live harmlessly in the nasal passages of roughly 30 percent of the U.S. population. These people are sometimes called “staph carriers” or persons who are “colonized” with staph organisms. Staph organisms can cause infection when they enter the skin through a cut or sore. Infection can also occur when the bacteria move inside the body through a catheter or breathing tube. The infection can be minor and local (for example, a pimple) or more serious. (8)

Though MRSA is generally associated with healthcare institutions, it can also occur in persons who have had no contact with a healthcare facility. These types of MRSA infections are classified as community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) and are presenting to hospital emergency departments and outpatient clinics in increasing numbers. In addition, patients with CA-MRSA who are admitted to a healthcare facility can be the source for organisms that can be spread to other hospitalized patients, and such spread has been well documented. Many such infections have also occurred among athletes who share equipment or personal items (such as towels or razors) and among children in daycare facilities who are in very close contact with one another throughout the day. (9) By some estimates, more than half of all skin infections now treated in emergency rooms are caused by MRSA. (10)

How does someone contract MRSA?
MRSA is most often contracted while a patient is in the hospital. Transmission of MRSA organisms can occur from skin-to-skin contact with someone who has MRSA on their skin, by hands of healthcare personnel who pick up organisms on their hands from a colonized patient and then care for another patient without washing their hands between the tasks, by contact with items such as computer keyboards or surfaces such as bedrails that have the
organisms on them, and through insertion of devices such as catheters or breathing tubes that bypass the body’s natural defenses.

The risk for the spread of CA-MRSA is highest where people with poor hygiene are associating in close quarters such as prisons, homeless shelters, locker rooms and daycare centers.

How do we clean rooms used by MRSA infected patients?
Using a EPA registered disinfectant with a MRSA rating clean thoroughly using friction, all surfaces in the patient room, paying particular attention to high touch  surfaces. Be sure to follow contact precautions in addition to universal precautions, and wash hands thoroughly, when you finish cleaning.

References:

1 www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/007261.htm
2 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_MRSA_spotlight_2006.html
3 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html
4http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/007261.htm
5 www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r061019.htm
6 Siegel JD, Rhineheart E, Jackson M, Linda C; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee.
“Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Healthcare Settings, 2006.” Available at

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/mdroGuideline2006.pdf.

7 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html
8 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/007261.htm
9 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/007261.htm
10 Moran GJ, Krishnadasan A, Gorwitz RJ, Fosheim GE, McDougal LK, Carey RB, Talan DA; Emergency ID Net Study Group. (2006). Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus Infections among Patients in the Emergency Department, New England Journal of Medicine, 355,666-674.

Suggestions for Infection control procedures for free-standing imaging centers and hospital radiology departments

The cleanliness of free-standing imaging centers and hospital radiology departments is crucial for reducing the spread of MRSA and other acquired infections. The following are 11 simple procedures to implement that can prevent the spread of these infections.

1. Have a written infectious control policy to include MRI cleaning procedures as well as the cleaning schedule and have it posted throughout the center.

2. Implement a mandatory hand washing / hand sanitizing procedure between patient exams for technologists and any others who come into contact with patients.

3. Clean the MRI tables, inside the bore of the magnet and any other items that come into contact with a patient. Infection control experts recommend this be done between each patient.

4. Clean all pads and positioners with an approved disinfectant. Infection control experts recommend cleaning after each patient.

5. Periodically inspect the pads with a magnifying glass, particularly at the seams, to identify fraying or tearing. If present, the pads should be replaced.

6. Regularly check all padding material with an ultraviolet (black) light and make sure that any biological material detected on the pads can be removed.

7. Replace damaged or contaminated pads with new pads incorporating permanent antimicrobial agents.

8. Use pillows with a waterproof covering that is designed to be surface wiped. Replace pillows when their barrier is compromised.

9. Promptly remove body fluids, and then surface disinfect all contaminated areas.

10. If a patient has an open wound or any history of MRSA/other infection:

a. Gloves and gowns should be worn by all staff coming in contact with the patient. These barriers must be removed before touching other areas not coming in contact with the patient, i.e. door knobs, scanner console, computer terminals, etc.

b. The table and all the pads should be completely cleaned with disinfectant before the next patient is scanned, if it is not already being performed between every patient. For patients with any known infectious process add 10-15 minutes onto the scheduled scan time to assure there is enough time to thoroughly clean the room and all the pads.

11. All furniture should be periodically cleaned. Ideal surfaces are those that are waterproof and wipeable. Infection control experts recommend this be done between each patient.