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Volume 7, Number 2—April 2001
THEME ISSUE
4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections
Prevention is Primary

Infection Control in Home Care

Emily RhinehartComments to Author 
Author affiliation: AIG Consultants, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table

Criteria for inclusion in definitions of home-care-acquired infectiona

Site of infection Clinical data Laboratory data
Catheter-related UTIb Change in characteristics of urine Elevated serum leukocytes
Fever Evidence of UTI in urinalysis
Pain Evidence of leukocytes in urine dipstick test
Positive urine culture (>105 CFU of a single organism per mL urine)
Postoperative pneumonia Change in character of sputum Elevated serum leukocytes
Decreased breath sounds Sputum Gram-stained smear with
Increase in rales and rhonchi evidence of respiratory infection
Fever Positive sputum culture
Shortness of breath Positive chest X ray
Pain
Catheter-related bloodstream infection Fever with chills and rigors Elevated serum leukocytes
Redness, tenderness, or pain at insertion site Positive blood culture
Purulent drainage at site Positive catheter culture (after catheter removal)
Skin and soft tissue infection Pain, swelling, tenderness at site Gram-stain smear with leukocytes and organisms
Inflammation and warmth Positive culture
Purulent drainage Elevated serum leukocytes
Fever
Endometritis in postpartum patients Uterine tenderness and abdominal pain Positive Gram-stain smear of lochia
Purulent vaginal drainage (lochia) Positive culture of lochia
Foul-smelling lochia Remarkably elevated serum leukocytes
Fever

aSource: Rhinehart E, Friedman M. Infection control in home care. Gaithersburg (MD): Aspen Publishing, Inc.;1999 (22). bUTI = urinary tract infection.

Main Article

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The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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