Hospital Aquired Infecttions Flashcards
What is a HAI?
An infection that patients get while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions
Where can your pick up a HAI?
Different types of healthcare settings:
- acute care hospitals
- GP practises
- outpatient clinics
- hospices
- long term care facilities
What are the 2 main central line associated infections?
CLABSI —> central line associated blood stream infection
—> germs enter bloodstream through tube place in large vein
MRSA —> methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
How can you prevent HAI?
Proper education and training
Careful insertion, maintenance and prompt removal of catheters
what are risk factors for HAI?
Medical procedures
Antibiotic use
Patients characteristics
Behaviour of healthcare staff
Healthcare facility
Length of hospital stay
What are the 6 links in the chain of infection?
- Infectious agent or germ
- Reservoir
- Portal of exit
- Mode of transmission
- Portal of entry
- Susceptible host
What are the 3 types of reservoirs?
Human reservoir
Animal reservoir
Environmental reservoir
What is a human reservoir?
Person to person
—> relatively easy for eradication —> narrow down to last human case
E.g STDs, measles, mumps
What is an animal reservoir?
Pathogens in animals
—> human is the incidental host
E.g SARS - CoV -2
What is an environmental reservoir?
Plant, soil, water
E.g many fungal agents
What are examples of portals of exit?
Path by which pathogen leaves the reservoir/host
—> bodily fluids
—> coughs
—> sneezes
What are the two types of mode of transmission?
Direct
Indirect
What are the types of direct transmission?
Direct contact —> skin to skin, kissing, intecourse
Droplet spread —> spray, aerosols, coughing, talking
What are the types of indirect transmission?
Airborne —> suspended air particles —> dust or droplet nuclei
Vehicle-borne —> inanimate objects —> food, water, blood, famites
Vector-borne —> animate intermediates
What are the 2 types of vector-borne transmission?
Mechanical —> animal carries pathogen from 1 host to another but doesn’t get infected itself
Biological —> Pathogens reproduces w/in biological vector
What does a susceptible host depend on?
Genetic or constitutional factors
Specific immunity
Non-specific factors
What does specific immunity include?
Infection or vaccine
Trans placental —> mother to foetus
What does non-specific immunity involved?
Skin, mucous membrane, coughing reflex …
Acquired —> malnutrition, alcoholism, disease, therapy (chemo)
What are some control measures?
Control eliminate agent at source —> antibodies, treat infected individuals
Mode of transmission —> isolating, eliminate/decontaminate vehicle, ventilation
Portals of entry —> mosquito nets, mask/gloves
What are the 5 moments of hand hygiene?
- Before touching a patient
- Before clean/aseptic procedures
- After body fluid exposure risk
- After touching a patient
- After touching patient surroundings
What is sepsis?
Body’s extreme reaction to an infection
What is shock?
An imbalance in supply and demand
What is the sequence of septic shock?
- Blood pressure drops
- Tachycardia —> increased HR to increase BP
- Respiratory rate goes up
In what way are antibiotics given for sepsis and why?
IV —> faster delivery + systemic effect
