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Clostridium difficile Contamination of Blood Pressure Cuffs: A Call for a Closer Look at Gloving Practices in the Era of Universal Precautions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Farrin A. Manian ,
Lynn Meyer  and
Joan Jenne
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Abstract

We report an outbreak of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea at our medical center following adoption of Universal Precautions. Environmental cultures revealed unexpected contamination of blood pressure cuffs at a rate similar to that for bedside commodes (10% and 11.5%, respectively). An obser vational sur vey revealed that healthcare workers in the patient care areas not infrequently failed to remove their potentially stool-contaminated gloves prior to touching clean surfaces, which might have contributed to contamination of blood pressure cuffs.

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , March 1996 , pp. 180 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1996

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References

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