All can prevent infection with MRSA bacteria after hospital discharge

Hospital patients who have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be protected from future infections with a standard bathing regimen at home after hospital discharge, according to a University of California, Irvine researcher and colleagues. The paper, “Decolonization to Reduce Post-discharge Infection Risk among MRSA Carriers,” is published in the Feb. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Adults with MRSA on this regimen experienced a 30 percent reduction in subsequent MRSA infections and hospitalizations. Patients who have MRSA somewhere on their body have a 1 in 4 risks of developing a serious infection in the year after discharge, and 1 in 10 will develop a new MRSA infection.

The treatment regimen included regular bathing or showering with over-the-counter chlorhexidine soap, rinsing with prescription chlorhexidine mouthwash, and treating the nose with prescription mupirocin ointment. This group used the “decolonization” regimen twice a month for six months after hospital discharge.

The decolonization group had a 30 percent reduction in repeat MRSA infection and 17 percent fewer infections from any type of germ as compared to the education-only group. Patients who did not miss any doses experienced 44 percent fewer MRSA infections and 40 percent fewer infections from all germs.

We expect the same results with povidone iodine mouth wash and solution. We recommend the same should be done before the elective surgery also.

Beware of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin if ……

In patients with hypertension, Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or a history of arterial blockages or aneurysms one should not use fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and levofloxacin). The drugs are associated with rare ruptures or tears in the bodys main artery, the aorta, which can cause serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. Cases were reported in people taking these antibiotics orally or by injection.

Because of this risk, the US FDA is advising doctors to try to avoid prescribing these antibiotics to people who are at higher risk for problems with the aorta, unless there are no other antibiotics available to treat the infection.

The FDA issued a separate warning in July 2018, alerting people that this same category of antibiotics could raise the risk of rapid drops in blood sugar and certain mental health side effects

BACK FROM THE DEAD: It happens all over the world

A 27 weeks baby who died three times was found breathing in his COFFIN by stunned parents in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

The tot was thought to have died during labour after 27 weeks of pregnancy on February 8. The baby was born with no vital signs, so it was a foetal death. The doctors checked again and the situation was the same. An hour later, they check once more and the diagnosis was the same. Two hours later, the baby was checked again and was still confirmed as dead.

It happens in hypothermia which is common in preterm babies and elderly deaths. If the temperature is lower than 95 never declare death in anybody. The person in these situations can be revived hours later once the body temperature returns to normal.