makes you wonder

[dramamama]

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<td><strong>Date Posted:</strong> 08/04/2006 09:58 PM<br>
<strong>Posted By:</strong> <strong>dramamama</strong>

I have this article that scared the you-know-what out of
me.....here is a quick peak at the rise of pseudo in cf patients.
 It wasn't an illness defined by pseudomonas infection until
clinic settings were introduced.<br>
<br>
CF has not always been a disease characterized by chronic
pseudomonal sinopulmonary infection. Prior to 1946, the reported
prevalence of CF pseudomonal infections was low (<a class=
"cite-reflink" href="#r78">78</a>). However, a variety of sources
indicate that during the 1960s <em>P. aeruginosa</em> became the
most prevalent organism in the airways of CF patients (<a class=
"cite-reflink" href="#r229">229</a>). The emergence of this
pathogen coincided temporally with the introduction of regional
centers that specialized in CF care. The adherence to standardized
principles of multidisciplinary therapy by CF centers has been
lauded as an important factor responsible for increasing the median
survival from 14 years in 1969 to greater than 30 years currently
in the United States (<a class="cite-reflink" href=
"#r247">247</a>). However, studies in Denmark pointed to CF centers
as potential sites of increased risk for spread of <em>P.
aeruginosa</em> (<a class="cite-reflink" href="#r223">223</a>, <a
class="cite-reflink" href="#r225">225</a>). Studies in the United
States have corroborated these suspicions. In a study by Farrell et
al. (<a class="cite-reflink" href="#r90">90</a>), the median
pseudomonas-free period of the patients attending one center was
more than five times that of those attending another CF center. The
center with the earlier pseudomonal acquisition time was
distinguished by an urban setting, admixing of young patients with
older, <em>P. aeruginosa</em>-infected patients, and more
opportunity for social interactions among the patients.<br>
<br>
I never cultured pseudo until cf camp......yikes.<br>
<br>
mandy<br>

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I posted this in the wrong place originally....sorry.<br>
<br>
<br>

 

[NoExcuses]

this is why i'm HORRIFIED at the CF camp blog that's posted on here.

and why CF camps have been banned by the CFF

 

[coltsfan715]

It makes perfect sense really. If there are more of us in one area or going to one clinic then there is going to be a higher possibility or likelihood that we will pass something on to one another. That being said I think alot of it depends on everyones personal awareness.

I know that I do not like to be around others with germs that I do not have unless they stay a certain distance away from me. I also know a few people with young children that to my knowledge do not culture any bugs as of right now. I do things with them and have for over a year now. I wash my hands and steer clear if I am sick or coughing. To this day none of those people/children have cultured anything that I culture or anything in general.

Lindsey

 

[amber682]

Scary stuff! Do you happen to know how long pseudo can survive on a
hard surface like a doorknob?

 

[JazzysMom]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>amber682</b></i>

Scary stuff! Do you happen to know how long pseudo can survive on a
hard surface like a doorknob?</end quote></div>


Dont know off the top of my head, but I know someone knows this info. Its long enough to be a problem!

 

[EnergyGal]

I would be careful when going to your CF center. I would wear long pants and when you come home take a shower and wash your hair. I know hand washing is the most important but you do not want to sit down or lay down on your bed or chair unless you are clean. You never know what other creepy crawlees you can pass along to yourself if you do not shower. I am not saying this will prevent psuedo but it will help you stay healthier from other germs. Most importantly, getting adequates amount of sleep is necessary for fighting infections.

I remember when I did not sleep well with my cf lungs, I became so much more congested than when nights I slept well.

 

[amber682]

I think I read on Amy's reply to the cf camp blog last
night something like 8 <i>hours</i> on hard surface!

 

[NoExcuses]

8 days

 

[welshgirl]

our dr. told us a couple of hrs at most!!!!!!!!!!!!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[NoExcuses]

your doctor is wrong.

show him this <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.cfww.org/pub/edition_7/hindi/08.asp
">http://www.cfww.org/pub/edition_7/hindi/08.asp
</a>
the authors of the article are Claus Moser, MD, Ph.D specializes in Clinical Microbiology. He has worked with Professor Høiby for more than ten years. His research interests include chronic infections - especially chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections in patients with CF, urinary tract infection in patients with spinal cord injuries, and the significance of immune responses during chronic infections.

Niels Høiby, MD is the Chairman of the Department of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen,Denmark. He is the President of the 2006 European Cystic Fibrosis Society Conference, and was recently honored with the Richard C. Talamo Distinguished Clinical Achievement Award.

 

[amber682]

and I thought 8 hours was scary!<br>

 

[randford]

<strong>Dramamama,</strong><br>
<br>
I copied your information for future reference. That really makes
me wonder. You see I was diagnosed with adult CF 8 months after my
Nephew died at 15 from P. aeruginosa finding a path from the left
lung to the right hemisphere of the brain, causing an abscess. Just
by carrying P. aeruginosa, I probably exposed him. I'm probably
responsible. He did go to the CF clinic Thursday before he died.
The headaches started that evening so I think the abscess  was
in place a month or so before. Those kinds of things can take time
to evolve. If anyone reading this starts having headaches, GO get a
CT scan immediately. The CF clinic missed the diagnosis completely.
They thought he was dehydrated from giving blood samples.<br>
<br>
As for CF camps, there where many arguments for not sending him. We
never did, thank God.<br>
<br>
<b>Randford</b>, 43/CF

 

[welshgirl]

i read it , it said " in the sputum" so i'm assuming if we have a hosp appt and another cf patient was there a few hrs before unless they put sputum over everything there would not be a problem!!!!! if they had touched the door handles and other surfaces and they had sputum over their hands that would be more of a problem!!!!!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[NoExcuses]

you hit the nail on the head with door handles. Why would people have sputum over their hands? cuz we're taught to cough into them! bingo. Do you wash your kids' hands each and every time they cough? no one does. so there's how you get sputum on the door handles. and on the pen where you sign in. and on the chair arms. and on the faucet handle where you attempt to wash your hands after using the restroom.

have you ever seen a person coughing in slow motion when they cover their mouth? spit/sputum still flies everywhere - outside the hands covering the mouth. so there's also sputum on the ground.

remember, these bugs are microscopic. PA can survive in your coughing child's sputum on the ground, door handle, pen, sign in sheet, arm rest of a chair, exam room table for 8 days.

this is why the original article doens't surprise me one bit.

 

[Scarlett81]

Amy's post above is so right.

Other than the surfaces she mentioned-elevator buttons (major disgusting!!!), stair railings, if your office has a credit card machine, the buttons/pen on that (which I use at the grocery store too, you never know..)the blood pressure cuff, to name a few.

There was an Oprah on germs a few years back, and watch the US show 'How Clean is your house?'-it will change your life!

What's dirtier than a NYC toilet bowl? The keyboard of the average US office's computer. I wish I could give you the exact date and issue of that source, but I just read it in Prevention. Yikes.

I carry liquid hand sanitizer, alcohol swabs, and antbac wipes all the time. I wipe the handles of grocery carts, and lots of other things too. I use them every time I touch anything in most public places, esp. the doc office.It sounds extreme-it is-but since I started doing this, I have had much much less colds.

 

[amber682]

I'm kinda crazy with the hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes too!
If it gives you peace of mind I don't think its too extreme.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[welshgirl]

"how clean is your house" is a british programme. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[welshgirl]

while we all talking about sputum i have a question. joe has pa he was swabbed last oct(2005) and pa showed up along with a couple of others , he had 2 short courses of antibiotics for the other bugs , can't remember the names or the bugs, and he was on inhaled colomycin for 12 weeks for the pa . so far he has been clear for pa. my question is joe does not cough ,ever, nor does he bring up sputum, does anybody know why this should be ? <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif" border="0"> ps. when i say he never coughs at all, i mean he does clear his throat or when he has a cold he will cough but thats it.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[Scarlett81]

they have a us version of 'how clean is your house' here now! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0"> it was really popular last year b/c they were featured on oprah, but their fame is dwindling. I still like them though.

 

[Ratatosk]

DS cultured pseudo at 3 months, shortly after his first local CF clinic appointment. When we first started attending the clinics we kept him in his car seat carrier until we were assigned a room with a crib. As DS got older, we were told we wouldn't be assigned a room anymore, would sit in the waiting room and be called into a room that other patients were in. We stated our concerns and were told we had nothing to worry about because "none of their patients have cepacia". They did change their policy and now patients can choose to sit in the waiting room and interact or have a private room. Although last spring I became unglued when the nurse tried to have a switch rooms with another patient. And then this same nurse didn't wash her hands, nor did she wipe down the finger pulse-ox with an alcohol rub. We spent the majority of the clinic appointment wiping down ds's hands with antibacterial foam after each doctor came in. I think if we continue to go to the clinic, I'm going to start wiping down every surface with antibacterial wipes (sani wipes) in the room. Whole situation just unnerves me.