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Some like it hot: Variable impact of a tailpiece heating device on different gram-negative bacteria
- Stacy Park, Shireen Kotay, Katie Barry, Joanne Carroll, April Attai, William Guilford, Amy Mathers
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- Journal:
- Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology / Volume 3 / Issue S2 / June 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 September 2023, p. s70
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Background: Transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria to patients from colonized hospital sink drains has prompted attempts to interrupt transmission through a variety of interventions directed at the wastewater environment. We previously found that use of a heating device designed to disrupt biofilm formation between the P trap and the sink drain, which is the major point of dispersal of bacteria to the patient-care environment, was associated with reduced risk of detectable gram-negative organisms on hospital sink drains. However, there was no observed effect on some important pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. We hypothesized that heating to a higher temperature would provide additional efficacy in preventing drain colonization. Methods: As part of a previous randomized study, 54 tailpiece heaters were installed in 3 intensive care units in an academic hospital and 2 acute-care units in an associated regional hospital; half of these devices were shams (ie, no heat). The devices were programmed to heat for 1 hour every fourth hour. Prior to this study, a device update increased the heating temperature (during the previous study the median heated temperature was 65.9°C). Sink drains and P traps were sampled monthly. Samples were assessed for semiquantitative growth of gram-negative bacteria on MacConkey agar, looking especially for P. aeruginosa and S. maltophilia. Frontline personnel were blinded to device assignment. Results: The mean heated temperature reached was 74.4°C. Based on proportional odds logistic regression (wherein the odds ratio reflects the likelihood of a given sample falling in a lower microbiologic burden level versus the levels above it), the heating device was associated with increased likelihood of lower microbiologic burden at the drain level for general growth on MacConkey agar (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.11–5.51) and for growth of S. maltophilia (OR, 5.39; 95% CI, 2.20–13.18). The device did not have an effect on burden of Enterobacterales (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.58–3.24). For P. aeruginosa, there was a trend toward decreased likelihood of lower microbiologic burden (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.18–1.07) that did not reach statistical significance at the drain level, and the heating device was associated with decreased likelihood of lower microbiologic burden of P. aeruginosa at the P-trap level (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.10–0.39). Conclusions: Heat disruption of biofilm between the P trap and sink may be a promising strategy for prevention of hospital sink drain colonization; however, the impact is variable across different bacterial species. Further understanding of the dynamics of the microbiome within wastewater is needed.
Disclosures: None
Efficacy of a Sink Tailpiece Heating Device to Decrease Microbial Colonization of Sink Drains
- Stacy Park, Limor Steinberg, Joanne Carroll, Amy Mathers, April Attai
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 41 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 November 2020, pp. s208-s210
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: Many institutions have reported transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms to patients from colonized sinks. Prior data have shown that bacterial colonization of the sink drain, which can occur via biofilm from a colonized p-trap or via seeding from above, results in dispersion of bacteria in the area of the sink when water from the faucet comes in contact with the drain. Heat disruption of biofilm formation between the p-trap and sink drain is a potential strategy in preventing colonization of sink drains. Methods: In an academic center hospital, 54 tail-piece heaters were installed in 3 intensive care units and 2 acute-care units in an associated regional hospital. Half of the installed devices were sham (no heat). The devices were programmed to heat the tail piece to 72C for 1 hour every fourth hour. Rooms were randomized to heating or sham devices on a 1:1 basis within each unit. Sink drains and p-traps were sampled biweekly. Samples were assessed for semiquantitative growth of gram-negative bacteria on MacConkey agar, looking especially for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) was detected by broth enrichment followed by growth on Colorex KPC agar. Frontline personnel were blinded to device assignment. Results: Linear mixed modeling revealed reduced risk of detectable gram-negative bacteria (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.037–0.536) and Enterobacterales (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.368–0.668) in sink drains with a heating device (Fig. 1), but no difference in risk of detectable P. aeruginosa or S. maltophilia (Table 1). We detected a trend toward reduction in CPE that did not reach statistical significance, and there was no difference in risk for detection of any bacteria in the p-trap between heating and sham devices. Audits of devices demonstrated that few reached the target heating temperature of 72C (median, 65.9C; range, 50.1–73.7C). Conclusions: Disruption of biofilm between the p-trap and the sink drain is a promising strategy for the prevention of sink-drain colonization with clinically important bacteria. The presence of a heating device was associated with reduced risk of detectable gram-negative organisms, specifically Enterobacterales, in sink drains. The limitations of this study included low overall rates of positivity for certain pathogens, including CPE, and suboptimal, inconsistent performance across heating devices. Further work with a larger sample size and more consistent heating devices is warranted, as are data regarding patient outcomes as a result of such interventions.
Funding: None
Disclosures: None