Abstract
Objectives
To identify the presence of contamination on tourniquets for peripheral intravenous puncture and to characterize the profile of theStaphylococcus spp. and the isolated yeasts.
Methods
Cross-sectional study in which 18 tourniquets for peripheral intravenous puncture in use at a hospital were analyzed. The tourniquets were immersed in BHI broth for 24h and cultivated in selective media for isolation and identification of Staphylococcus spp. and yeasts. The disk-diffusion method was employed to analyze the susceptibility profile of the Staphylococcus spp. to the antimicrobial agents.
Results
The growth of some microorganism was identified on 13 (72.2%) tourniquets: 11 (52.4%) coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, two (9.5%)Staphylococcus aureus, four (19%) Rodothorula mucilaginosa, three (14.3%) Candida albicans. 61.5% of the Staphylococcus spp. were oxacillin-resistant. The team professionals did not mention protocols for cleaning, disinfection or controlled replacement of these materials at the institution.
Conclusion
The contamination of tourniquets by pathogenic microorganisms was identified, with a resistance profile to the antibiotics that are frequently used in hospitals.
Nursing care; Nursing, practical; Nursing research; Tourniquets/adverse effects; Equipment contamination; Staphylococcal infections