Editor—Biant et al report on “ring fencing” elective orthopaedic beds to eradicate methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).1 This quality improvement report should encourage many orthopaedic units to change their practice and act similarly.
Figure 1.
Effect of change of location on number of infections
They do not, however, mention the number of cases that were treated each year to give the rate of infection. If the stand alone unit was dealing with a similar number of cases, then the infection rate underwent a true rise after April 1998. Before 1998 some 27 infections occurred in the preceding 10 (mean 2.7) years. Even when all the new precautions were taken from July 2000, 15 infections occurred in 12 months in the ring fenced district general hospital, more than five times the number of infections in the stand alone unit. Does this imply that stand alone orthopaedic units are the way forward in reducing postoperative infection?
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Biant LC, Teare EL, Williams WW, Tuite, JD. Eradication of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus by “ring fencing” of elective orthopaedic beds. BMJ 2004;329: 149-51. (17 July.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]