LETTER
Electronic Thermometers and Nosocomial Infections
E. I. Abter;
E. K. Chapnick; and
A. Stahl
15 January 1993 | Volume 118 Issue 2 | Pages 156-157
TO THE EDITOR:
The study by Livornese and colleagues [1] is not the first to suggest an electronic thermometer as a vehicle for transmission of nosocomial infection. In a previously reported study, the rate of transmission of Clostridium difficile was significantly reduced after removal of electronic thermometers [2].
Management of bacteremia due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci is problematic. Recent studies have suggested the possibility of in-vitro inhibition of vancomycin-resistant enterococci using various antibiotic combinations such as vancomycin, penicillin, and gentamicin [3]. However, Livornese and colleagues [1] were the first to report a combination that was effective in vivo.
1. Livornese L, Dias S, Samel C, Romanowski B, Taylor S, May P, et al. Hospital-acquired infection with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium transmitted by electronic thermometers. Ann Intern Med. 1992; 117:112-6.
2. Brooks S, Veal R, Kramer M, Dore L, Schupf N, Adachi M. Reduction in the incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in an acute care hospital and a skilled nursing facility following replacement of electronic thermometers with single-use disposables. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1992; 13:98-103.
3. Caron F, Carbon C, Gutmann L. Triple-combination penicillin-vancomycin-gentamicin for experimental endocarditis caused by a moderately penicillin- and high glycopeptide-resistant isolate of Enterococcus faecium. J Infect Dis. 1991; 164:888-93.
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