Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34758880›Full record

ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2021

Real-world experience of how chlorhexidine bathing affects the acquisition and incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in a medical intensive care unit with VRE endemicity: a prospective interrupted time-series study.

Jin Woong Suh, Nam Hee Kim, Min Jung Lee, Seoung Eun Lee, Byung Chul Chun, Chang Kyu Lee, Juneyoung Lee, Jong Hun Kim, Sun Bean Kim, Young Kyung Yoon and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Does alternate-day bathing with 2% chlorhexidine improve clinical outcomes in critically ill patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  3. Methicillin-ResistantMicroorganisms · 2026
    Review
  4. The Impact ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Carbapenem-resistantFrontiers in microbiology · 2022
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Jin Woong SuhDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, 73 Goryeodae-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Nam Hee KimInfection Control Unit, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Min Jung LeeInfection Control Unit, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Seoung Eun LeeInfection Control Unit, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Byung Chul ChunDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Chang Kyu LeeDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Juneyoung LeeDepartment of Medical Statistics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jong Hun KimDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, 73 Goryeodae-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Sun Bean KimDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, 73 Goryeodae-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Young Kyung YoonDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jang Wook SohnDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Min Ja KimDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, 73 Goryeodae-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea. macropha@korea.ac.kr.ORCID 0000-0002-2125-7521
Korea University · KR

Funding

Korea Health Industry Development Institute HI1278C0665
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCritically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) often acquire opportunistic infections or are colonized by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), which limits therapeutic options and results in high case-fatality rates. In clinical practice, the beneficial effects of universal chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing on the control of VRE remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether 2% CHG daily bathing reduced the acquisition of VRE in the setting of a medical ICU (MICU) with VRE endemicity.

methodsThis quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted in a 23-bed MICU of a tertiary care hospital in Korea from September 2016 to December 2017. In a prospective, interrupted time-series analysis (ITS) with a 6-month CHG bathing intervention, we compared the acquisition and incidence of VRE and the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) between the pre-intervention and intervention periods. The primary and secondary outcomes were a change in the acquisition of VRE and incidence of VRE, MRSA, or CRAB between the two periods, respectively.

resultsAll the adult patients admitted to the MICU were enrolled in the pre-intervention (n = 259) and intervention (n = 242). The overall CHG daily bathing compliance rate was 72.5%. In the ITS, there was a significant intervention effect with a 58% decrease in VRE acquisition (95% CI 7.1-82.1%, p = 0.038) following the intervention. However, there was no significant intervention effects on the incidence trend of VRE, MRSA, and CRAB determined by clinical culture between the pre-intervention and intervention periods.

conclusionIn this real-world study, we concluded that daily bathing with CHG may be an effective measure to reduce VRE cross-transmission among patients in MICU with a high VRE endemicity.

Indexed as

Critical IllnessAcinetobacter baumanniiAcinetobacter InfectionsAgedAnti-Infective Agents, LocalBathsChlorhexidineFemaleHumansIncidenceIntensive Care UnitsInterrupted Time Series AnalysisMaleMethicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusMiddle AgedNon-Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicAnti-Infective Agents, LocalChlorhexidineAcquisitionBathsChlorhexidine gluconateIntensive care unitInterrupted time-series analysisVancomycin-resistant enterococci

Identifiers

PMID34758880
PMCPMC8579179
OpenAlexW3213731709

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.