Epidemiologic Investigation of a 2007 Outbreak of Serratia marcescens Bloodstream Infection in Texas Caused by Contamination of Syringes Prefilled With Heparin and Saline

This retrospective cohort study found that syringes prefilled with heparin flush solution caused an outbreak of Serratia marcescens bloodstream infection at an outpatient treatment center in Texas in 2007. The epidemiologic study supported this conclusion, despite the lack of microbiologic evidence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2009-06, Vol.30 (6), p.593-595
Main Authors: Su, John R., Blossom, David B., Chung, Wendy, Gullion, Jessica Smartt, Pascoe, Neil, Heseltine, Gary, Srinivasan, Arjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bacteremia - epidemiology
Bacteremia - microbiology
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial sepsis
Biological and medical sciences
Catheters
Concise Communication
Disease Outbreaks
Drug Contamination
Female
Health care administration
Heparin
Heparin - administration & dosage
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Medical syringes
Medications
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Nursing
Predisposing factors
Public health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Serratia Infections - epidemiology
Serratia Infections - microbiology
Serratia marcescens
Sodium Chloride - administration & dosage
Statistical significance
Syringes - microbiology
Texas - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Description
Summary:This retrospective cohort study found that syringes prefilled with heparin flush solution caused an outbreak of Serratia marcescens bloodstream infection at an outpatient treatment center in Texas in 2007. The epidemiologic study supported this conclusion, despite the lack of microbiologic evidence of contamination from environmental and product testing. This report underscores the crucial contributions that epidemiologic studies can make to investigations of outbreaks that are possibly product related.
ISSN:0899-823X
1559-6834
DOI:10.1086/597383