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Biomedical subjects

A Weersink

Publications and source records attributed to A Weersink.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Comparison of two surveillance methods for detecting nosocomial infections in surgical patients.

Nosocomial infections play a role in quality and cost control in health care. Surveillance of these infections is the only way to gain more insight into their frequency and causes. Since the results of surveillance may lead to changes in both patient and hospital management, which are sometimes major, it is necessary that all healthcare workers involved agree on the criteria used for the diagnosis and surveillance of these complications. In order to compare the efficacy of two surveillance methods, nosocomial infections in surgical patients were registered by both the Department of Surgery (complication surveillance [CS]) and the Department of Infection Control (nosocomial infection surveillance [NIS]) at the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, over a 2-month period. The CS team used the national criteria of the Association of Surgeons of the Netherlands and the NIS team used the international criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, to define cases of nosocomial infection. A total of 515 patients were included in both arms of the study. The CS team diagnosed 69 infections in 49 patients, and the NIS team diagnosed 64 infections in 45 patients. Of 104 total infections, 39 were diagnosed by the CS team exclusively, 35 by the NIS team exclusively and only 30 by both. The main reasons for the inconsistent results were as follows: (i) the lack of follow-up after discharge in the NIS arm, (ii) the use of clinical criteria for the definition of a nosocomial infection in the CS arm, and (iii) the use of positive cultures as part of the criteria in the NIS arm. From the perspective of infection control, the CS system cannot be recommended for the surveillance of nosocomial infections.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗
PubMed2001

Five-year surveillance of patients with communicable diseases nursed in isolation.

During a five year surveillance program of patients with communicable diseases nursed in isolation, we gathered information on 2880 patients who were nursed in isolation for 28 145 days, from January 1994 to December 1998. The mean number of patients nursed in isolation was 575.4 (range, 427-709) per year. On average 2.4% of patients admitted yearly to the University Medical Center (UMC) were nursed in isolation. The mean number of days nursed in isolation was 9.8 days per patient.1996 was a peak year in isolations due to outbreaks of gentamicin-resistant enterobacteriaceae (GRB) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The main reasons for requiring isolation were: GRB, MRSA (proven and suspected cases), Clostridium difficile, viral infections and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Registration of quantitative data on nursing patients in isolation, as presented in this paper, makes it possible to gain insight into the type and number of isolation indications, the required isolation room capacity on different wards, the workload of healthcare workers resulting from isolation and the trends in incidence of communicable diseases.

Communicable Diseases↗
PubMed1993

Dynamics and regulation of bulk milk somatic cell counts.

Somatic cell count (SCC) in milk is inversely related to dairy cow productivity and milk quality. In an effort to improve product quality, and indirectly farm productivity, regulatory limits on somatic cell counts have been established by many of the major dairy producing countries. The purpose of this paper was to assess the impact of regulations on bulk milk somatic cell counts in Ontario and to assist producers in meeting regulatory limits through development of prediction models. Through the use of a transfer function model, provincial SCC was found to have dropped by approximately 60,000 as a result of the reduction program. Limits of the regulatory program, seasonality and herd characteristics were found through time series cross-sectional models to have an impact on prediction of SCC at the farm level, but the major influence was historical SCC levels.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Sire selection decisions and farm profitability relationships for Ontario dairy farmers.

The relationship between the relative emphasis of type and production in the sire selection decision and net farm income per cow are examined for a sample of Ontario dairy farmers. A significant positive correlation between farm profits and the genetic indices for type and production traits of selected bulls exists, but the direction of causality cannot be determined. Net farm income per cow was found to have a significant inverse association with the relative weighting between type and production in the average sire selected. In contrast, the emphasis on type relative to production was found to increase with an increase in milk yield and herd size. The results of this study show that there may be benefits to collecting the breeding, production, and economic information of selected herds. The information gathered over time would be useful for determining what factors influence breeding decisions and for determining the causality in those relationships.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Amoxicillin-clavulanate prophylaxis against wound infections after clean-contaminated surgery. A controlled, randomized, prospective study.

In a single-blind, prospective randomized and controlled trial, amoxicillin-clavulanate was compared with gentamicin plus clindamycin as perioperative prophylaxis for 24 hours in clean-contaminated abdominal surgery. Proven infections of the abdominal incision occurred in one of 59 evaluable patients given amoxicillin-clavulanate and one of 43 with gentamicin/clindamycin. In the latter group there was also one incisional perineal wound infection. At follow-up enquiry by telephone around postoperative day 30, four patients in the amoxicillin-clavulanate group reported minor wound discharge for which they had not sought medical attention. Intraperitoneal infection occurred in one patient of that group, and in three of the gentamicin/clindamycin group. Both regimens thus were effective and safe as prophylaxis in clean-contaminated abdominal surgery.

Adult↗