A shot in the arm for infection prevention
Countless lives are saved every year because of intravascular devices, which is why Queensland researchers are working hard to eliminate their one significant risk – infection.
Professor Claire Rickard (pictured) at Griffith University’s Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice Innovation is leading research aimed at preventing the transmission of bacteria from devices such as catheters that cause bloodstream infections and associated illnesses, lengthier hospital stays and costly treatments.
Her research team is particularly interested in the role of bacterial biofilms – complex communities of bacteria that adhere to biological tissue and medical devices.
‘Bacteria in this context are more resilient to antibiotics because the biofilm provides them with a protective matrix,’ Professor Rickard said.v
‘We need to better understand how biofilms contribute to the build-up of bacteria on intravascular devices, what are the major bacterial species involved, and the process of colonisation and infection,’ she said.
The new study, which brings together research talent from Griffith University, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, promises new diagnostic tests for biofilm and strategies to prevent its build-up and remove or deactivate established communities of bacteria.
Professor Rickard, an acute and critical care specialist, is also working on clinical research to assess the value of routinely removing and re-inserting intravascular devices and infusion systems to prevent infection.
While common practice, early evidence suggests it is ineffective in preventing infection as well as being painful for patients, time-consuming, costly and wasteful.
‘In Australia each year about 10 million peripheral catheters are inserted in patients’ arms or in the backs of their hands to administer blood products, fluids or medications. Many of those catheters are routinely re-sited every few days,’ Professor Rickard said.
‘Patients have to undergo the pain of another needle, it is disruptive to their therapy, and it wastes the time of both doctors and nurses. Plus there is the environmental cost of all that plastic waste,’ she said.
The definitive research, being conducted at the Gold Coast, Princess Alexandra and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospitals, aims to develop new strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
In addition, Professor Rickard recently won the Innovation in Nursing category of the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards for research to prevent unnecessary blood loss while taking blood samples from intravenous drips for pathology tests.
She said the first blood drawn must be discarded because it may be contaminated or provide a false reading.
‘In my nursing practice in many different hospitals and wards, I saw there was a huge variety of beliefs and practices about this and I suspected patients were losing a lot of blood unnecessarily,’ she said.
Professor Rickard has since developed a formula to calculate the optimum amount of blood discarded.
‘This new process has led to changes in our practice: much lower blood volumes are being discarded and patients get the best of both worlds. They still get the accurate blood results which are necessary for their treatment, but they also avoid unnecessary anaemia and blood transfusion.’
www.griffith.edu.au/health/research-centre-clinical-community-practice-innovation (non-government site)
Last reviewed 15 December 2008
