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Biomedical subjects

B Yannelli

Publications and source records attributed to B Yannelli.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Significance of fever in hospital employees.

Hospital employees are exposed to a variety of occupationally related hazards that can be categorized as infectious or noninfectious. Lost work time often results from these problems. Infection control practitioners receive many telephone calls of inquiry about these employees in terms of their transmissible infections. Little has been written concerning fever in the employee health setting. To determine the frequency of febrile illness in hospital employees, we conducted a prospective study of the employee health service from January to December 1987. Winthrop-University Hospital is a 533-bed community teaching hospital with approximately 2400 employees. During 1987, 2974 visits were made to the employee health service. Of these, 879 (30%) were for occupationally related illness or injury. Oral temperatures of greater than or equal to 100 degrees F were noted in 25 (2.8%) of the 879 visits. Fever occurred predominantly in employees with infections. Upper respiratory tract infection accounted for 268 of 544 (49%) visits for infection. In addition, 11 of 22 (50%) febrile episodes were related to upper respiratory tract infections. A total of 963 work days were lost because of illness or injury. Of these, 743 (77%) were related to an infectious illness; 67 sick days (7%) were attributed to infections with a febrile response. We conclude that fever is uncommon in our employee health care population and that upper respiratory tract infections were the single most common cause of fever. When an employee had a febrile illness, the lost work time was 9% of the total time loss because of infection.

Fever↗
PubMed1989

Survey of techniques used for sterilization of facial implants.

Policies need to be developed in each institution to ensure that OR personnel alert the CSS when implants are sent to CSS for sterilization so that a spore test can be processed with each implant regardless of the method of sterilization (steam, gas, or other). Implants should be quarantined for a 48-hour negative test result when possible. It is advisable to keep a log in CSS for items that require premature release with prior notification of the physician. In situations when implants and materials must be customized during surgery, OR personnel may sterilize the unwrapped implants and materials with a spore test. Under special circumstances, such materials may be released for use before obtaining the results of the 48-hour spore test, if the special circumstances are recorded in a log in the OR. If a spore test is subsequently found to show positive results, the physician and infection control personnel should be notified by telephone by OR personnel. Opposition to these policies in institutions that have implemented them has gradually diminished as surgeons have become used to the requirements and realize the rationale. OR nurses and infection control personnel need to understand that the procedures constitute safer patient care practices and that they are in full compliance with CDC guidelines.

Face↗
PubMed1988

Yield of stool cultures, ova and parasite tests, and Clostridium difficile determinations in nosocomial diarrheas.

Stool cultures for bacterial pathogens, ova and parasites, and Clostridium difficile are usually ordered for patients with nosocomial diarrhea. In the interest of cost containment we undertook an 18-month retrospective study to assess the cost/benefit of performing each of these three tests. During the study period nosocomial diarrhea developed in 118 patients. Of 452 bacterial stool cultures ordered, only one was positive for Campylobacter jejuni and none for ova and parasites. However, of 126 cultures examined for C. difficile, 47 showed positive results. We conclude that bacterial stool culture and ova and parasite identification are not indicated for patients with nosocomial diarrhea. Elimination of these unnecessary stool tests (bacterial/ova and parasite) would have saved the hospital approximately +7530 in the 18-month study period.

Clostridium↗
PubMed1988

Infection control in critical care.

Most common nosocomial infections in the intensive care setting are nosocomial urinary tract infections, nosocomial pneumonia, and intravascular line-related infections. Patients in the intensive care setting rapidly become colonized by nosocomial gram-negative organisms. The colonization of the patient precedes actual infection and provides some indicator of the microflora of the intensive care unit as well as early warning of the potential for outbreaks in the unit. Infection control in the intensive care unit is of vital importance in preventing colonization of microbes as well as in the recognition and interruption of outbreaks of nosocomial infections. In this article are discussed nosocomial infections in patients in the intensive care unit from the infection control standpoint.

Critical Care↗