CHICAGO — Infections in U.S. hospitals kill tens of thousands each year, and many institutions fight back by screening new patients to see whether they carry a dangerous germ, and isolating those who do. But a big study suggests a far more effective approach: Decontaminate every patient in intensive care.
The decontamination method worked like this: For up to five days, 26,000 ICU patients at more than 40 U.S. hospitals got a nose swab twice a day with bacteria-fighting ointment, plus once-daily bathing with antiseptic wipes. Afterward, they were more than 40 percent less likely to get a bloodstream infection of any type.
The practice could prove controversial because it would involve even uninfected patients and because experts say it could lead to germs becoming more resistant to antibiotics. But it worked better than screening methods, now required in nine states.
The findings are “very dramatic” and will lead to changes in practice and probably new laws, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious-disease specialist who was not involved in the research.
The study was published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
