Serratia marcescens bacteremia because of contaminated prefilled heparin and saline syringes: a multi-state report.

Abstract

A national outbreak of Serratia marcescens bacteremia because of contaminated prefilled heparin and saline syringes led to their recall. We evaluated the clinical impact of this outbreak in 57 patients at 3 centers. All patients were symptomatic and were treated with intravenous antibiotics with a fatal outcome in 1 patient.

• Authors: Roy F Chemaly, Dhanesh B Rathod, Monica K Sikka, Mary K Hayden, Mark Hutchins, Tracy Horn, Jeffery Tarrand, Javier Adachi, Kim Nguyen, Gorden Trenholme, Issam Raad
• Journal: American journal of infection control (Am J Infect Control) Vol. 39 Issue 6 Pg. 521-4 (Aug 2011) ISSN: 1527-3296 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21492963 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Sodium Chloride
• Heparin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (administration & dosage)
• Bacteremia (drug therapy, epidemiology, microbiology)
• Child
• Cross Infection (drug therapy, epidemiology, microbiology)
• Disease Outbreaks
• Drug Contamination
• Female
• Heparin
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Serratia Infections (drug therapy, epidemiology, microbiology)
• Serratia marcescens (isolation & purification)
• Sodium Chloride
• Syringes (microbiology)
• Treatment Outcome
• United States (epidemiology)
• Young Adult