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Biomedical subjects

Sanjay Saint

Publications and source records attributed to Sanjay Saint.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant organisms in nursing homes within the United States.

Nursing home (NH) residents in the United States routinely attend interactive visits for services such as therapy or dialysis, creating opportunities for pathogen transmission. A paucity of studies exist which delineate spread of pathogens beyond residents' in-room environment. In this prospective cohort study, we recruited 197 newly-admitted residents across three Veterans Affairs NHs to characterize multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) prevalence, acquisition, and transmission. Participant hands, nares, groin, and seven environmental surfaces were swabbed during 758 regularly scheduled in-room visits; participant hands, healthcare personnel hands, and equipment were swabbed during 345 unscheduled interactive visits. We demonstrate that baseline MDRO colonization and new acquisition is common, and one in six interactive visits result in MDRO transmission. Whole genome sequencing on a subset of participants enabled us to identify sources of transmission where it was unknown using microbiologic methods alone. Our results illustrate MDRO transmission pathways and highlight the need for innovative, multidisciplinary interventions.

Humans↗

What effect does physician "profiling" have on inpatient physician satisfaction and hospital length of stay?

BACKGROUND: 2002 marked the first time that the rate of hospital spending in the United States out-paced the overall health care spending rate of growth since 1991. As hospital spending continues to grow and as reimbursement for hospital expenses has moved towards the prospective payment system, there is still increasing pressure to reduce costs. Hospitals have a major incentive to decrease resource utilization, including hospital length of stay. We evaluated whether physician profiling affects physician satisfaction and hospital length of stay, and assessed physicians' views concerning hospital cost containment and the quality of care they provide. METHODS: To determine if physician profiling affects hospital length of stay and/or physician satisfaction, we used quasi-experimental with before-versus-after and intervention-versus-control comparisons of length of stay data collected at an intervention and six control hospitals. Intervention hospital physicians were informed their length of stay would be compared to their peers and were given a questionnaire assessing their experience. RESULTS: Nearly half of attending pre-profiled physicians felt negative about the possibility of being profiled, while less than one-third of profiled physicians reported feeling negative about having been profiled. Nearly all physicians greatly enjoyed their ward month. Length of stay at the profiled site decreased by an additional 1/3 of a day in the profiling year, compared to the non-profiled sites (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A relatively non-instrusive profiling intervention modestly reduced length of stay without adversely affecting physician satisfaction.

Adult↗

Contribution of infection to increased mortality in women after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Women have higher mortality rates after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery compared with men. Explanations for this sex difference are controversial. The objective of this study was to assess whether infection contributes to the increased risk of mortality in women. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of 9218 Michigan Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for CABG surgery. The prevalence of infection at any site during hospitalization was determined. Patients were followed up for 100 days after surgery to assess vital status. Analyses were conducted using proportional hazards regression and population attributable risk. RESULTS: Women hospitalized for CABG surgery were more likely to have an infection than men (16.1% vs 9.8%, P<.001), regardless of age, race, type of admission, hospital volume, or presence of comorbidities. Infections of the respiratory tract, urinary tract, digestive tract, and skin and subcutaneous tissue were more common in women than in men. The risk of death in men increased 3-fold with infection, whereas the risk in women increased 1.8-fold. The interaction between infection and sex on mortality was significant after adjusting for age, type of admission, and presence of comorbidities (P = .008). The unadjusted percentage of deaths attributable to female sex was 13.9%, which decreased to 0.3% when adjusted for infection. Of the excess deaths in women, 96% could be accounted for by the differential distribution of infection between the sexes. CONCLUSION: The increased risk of mortality after CABG surgery in women may be explained by underlying differences in the prevalence of infection among men and women.

Aged↗

Nosocomial pneumonia: state of the science.

Nosocomial pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality due to hospital-acquired infections. A thorough understanding of the most recent developments in evaluating and managing nosocomial pneumonia is critical for infection control professionals and hospital epidemiologists, given the incidence and cost of this important patient safety problem. We review the evidence on pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of both ventilator-associated and nonventilator-associated pneumonia. Key recommendations are then provided for diagnostic testing strategies, antibiotic selection, and treatment duration. We also summarize the most recent data on how to prevent hospital-acquired infection, in general, and nosocomial pneumonia, in particular.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Are antiseptic-coated central venous catheters effective in a real-world setting?

BACKGROUND: Catheter-related bloodstream infections are common, costly, and morbid. Randomized controlled trials indicate that antiseptic-coated central venous catheters reduce infection rates. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and economic effectiveness of antiseptic-coated catheters for critically ill patients in a real-world setting. METHODS: Central venous catheters coated with chlorhexidine/silver-sulfadiazene were introduced in all patients requiring central venous access in adult intensive care units at the University of Michigan Health System, a large, tertiary care teaching hospital. A pretest-posttest cohort design measured the primary outcome of catheter-related bloodstream infection rate, comparing the 2 years prior to the intervention with the 2 years following the intervention. We also evaluated cost-effectiveness and changes in vancomycin use. RESULTS: The intervention was associated with a 4% per month relative reduction in the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infection, after controlling for the effects of time. Overall, a 35% relative risk reduction (P < .0003) in the catheter-related bloodstream infection rate occurred in the posttest phase. The use of antiseptic-coated catheters reduced costs more than $100,000 annually. Vancomycin use was less in units in which antiseptic catheters were used compared with wards in which these catheters were not used. CONCLUSION: Antiseptic-coated catheters appear to be clinically effective and economically efficient in a real-world setting.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Improving the safety of intravenous admixtures: lessons learned from a Pentostam overdose.

CASE STUDY: Weaknesses in the multistep process of admixture preparation and administration resulted in a patient with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) receiving a 10-fold intravenous (IV) overdose of Pentostam (sodium stibogluconalte), a rarely used drug. LESSONS LEARNED: A review of this adverse event resulted in five recommendations: (1) Provide staffing continuity among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians preparing and nurses administering the admixture; (2) Take time to ensure thorough and deliberative consideration ofquestions or concerns about admixture preparation; (3) Use due diligence in performing double checks of admixture calculations; (4) Know the drug and seek clarification when appropriate; and (5) Examine label information carefully. PROGRESS UPDATE: Two changes were made to improve patientsafety. First, a form was developed to accompany the preparation of complex IV drugs, including chemoltherapy solutions and nonformulary IV admixtures; the form is consistently used. Second, the pharmacy service developed information sheets for 12 high-risk drugs frequently used in IV admixtures. DISCUSSION: The medical center had processes in place to prevent medication errors, yet an error occurred nonetheless. Weaknesses were identified in staff communication, quality assurance checks, and product labeling. Also, nurses and pharmacists had less than adequate information about new or unusually dosed medications.

Adult↗

Condom versus indwelling urinary catheters: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare condom and indwelling urinary catheters in terms of infection risk and patient satisfaction. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, unblinded, controlled trial. SETTING: An academically affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized men aged 40 and older who required a urinary collection device. MEASUREMENTS: The incidence of adverse outcomes (bacteriuria, symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI), or death) and patient device-related satisfaction as determined according to a questionnaire. Dementia status was recorded to assess effect modification by the presence of dementia. RESULTS: Seventy-five subjects were randomized: 41 receiving an indwelling catheter and 34 a condom catheter. The incidence of an adverse outcome was 131/1,000 patient-days with an indwelling catheter and 70/1,000 patient-days with a condom catheter (P=.07). The median time to an adverse event was 7 days in the indwelling group and 11 days in the condom group. After adjusting for other risk factors, it was found that condom catheter use reduced adverse outcomes (P=.04). Patients without dementia who had an indwelling catheter were approximately five times as likely to develop bacteriuria or symptomatic UTI or to die (hazard ratio=4.84, 95% confidence interval=1.46-16.02) as those with a condom catheter (P=.01). Patients reported that condom catheters were more comfortable (P=.02) and less painful (P=.02) than indwelling catheters. CONCLUSION: The use of condom catheters is less likely to lead to bacteriuria, symptomatic UTI, or death than the use of indwelling catheters. This protection is especially apparent in men without dementia.

Adult↗

Effects of work hour reduction on residents' lives: a systematic review.

CONTEXT: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education implemented mandatory work hour limitations in July 2003, partly out of concern for residents' well-being in the setting of sleep deprivation. These limitations are likely to also have an impact on other aspects of the lives of residents. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the literature regarding the effect of interventions to reduce resident work hours on residents' education and quality of life. DATA SOURCES: We searched the English-language literature about resident work hours from 1966 through April 2005 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Current Contents, supplemented with hand-search of additional journals, reference list review, and review of abstracts from national meetings. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included that assessed a system change designed to counteract the effects of resident work hours, fatigue, or sleep deprivation; included an outcome directly related to residents; and were conducted in the United States. DATA EXTRACTION: For each included study, 2 investigators independently abstracted data related to study quality, subjects, interventions, and findings using a standard data abstraction form. DATA SYNTHESIS: Fifty-four articles met inclusion criteria. The interventions used to decrease resident work hours varied but included night and day float teams, extra cross-coverage, and physician extenders. Outcomes included measures of resident education (operative experience, test scores, satisfaction) and quality of residents' lives (amount of sleep, well-being). Interventions to reduce resident work hours resulted in mixed effects on both operative experience and on perceived educational quality but generally improved residents' quality of life. Many studies had major limitations in their design or conduct. CONCLUSIONS: Past interventions suggest that residents' quality of life may improve with work hour limitations, but interpretation of the outcomes of these studies is hampered by suboptimal study design and the use of nonvalidated instruments. The long-term impact of reducing resident work hours on education remains unknown. Current and future interventions should be evaluated with more rigorous methods and should investigate links between residents' quality of life and quality of patient care.

Education, Medical↗