Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus
VRE
- VRE stands for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
- Risk factors for VRE include immunosuppressed patients, patients with a hsitory of taking vancomycin or Clostridium difficile, having an indwelling urinary or venous catheter, elderly patients with prolonged or frequent stays in the hospital, and patients exposed to contaminate equipment or a VRE-positive patient
- VRE spreads by direct contact with the patient or by a health care worker to a patient
- VRE is capable of living for weeks on surfaces such as overbed tables and handrails
- A patient who is colonized has no signs or symptoms, but the VRE can be isolated in the stool or a rectal swab
- Once a patient is colonized he is 10 times more likely to be infected if he is immunocuppressed
How health care workers can help prevent the spread of VRE by using these "Standard Precautions"
Refer to the MRSA link below as well as the following:
- Always WASH YOUR HANDS before and after caring for the infected patient.
- Once you remove your gown and gloves be sure not to touch any possibly contaminated surface such as the over bed table
- When moving from a "clean" area to a "dirty" area be sure to put on a clean pair of gloves
- Be especially carful when caring for a patient with a wound not covered by a dressing such as a colostomy
Treatment of VRE
- There is no single antibiotic that will treat VRE
- Doctors often opt to just stop all antibiotic treatment and wait for the normal bacteria to multiply and replace the VRE
- When Doctor's opt for drug therapy it is usually a combination of chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and an aminoglycoside
Links to other sites on the Web
Recommendations for Preventing the Spread of Vancomycin Resistance
Vancomycin resistance
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci VRE
My MRSA link
HOME
You are visitor
View Guestbook
Sign Guestbook
© 1997 [email protected]
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page