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Dispersal of gram-negative bacilli from contaminated sink drains to cover gowns and hands during hand washing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2019

Zeina Hajar ,
Thriveen Sankar Chittoor Mana ,
Jennifer L. Cadnum  and
Curtis J. Donskey
Zeina Hajar
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Thriveen Sankar Chittoor Mana
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Jennifer L. Cadnum
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Curtis J. Donskey*
Affiliation:
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
*
Author for correspondence: Curtis J. Donskey, Email: Curtis.Donskey@va.gov
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Abstract

We demonstrated that hand washing resulted in frequent dispersal of gram-negative bacilli from colonized sink drains in hospitals to cover gowns and hands. A plastic drain cover reduced but did not eliminate the risk for contamination. This mechanism of dispersal could result in contamination of healthcare personnel and patients.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , April 2019 , pp. 460 - 462
Creative Commons
This work is classified, for copyright purposes, as a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States.
Copyright
© 2019 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

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