ArticleCureus2024
Frequently Touched Sites in the Intensive Care Unit Environment Returning 100 Colony-Forming Units per Surface Area Sampled Are Associated With Increased Risk of Major Bacterial Pathogen Detection.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of Ultraviolet-C Inactivation ofMayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2026Article
- What are the microbial burden and potential pathogens on hospital surfaces before and after cleaning?Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Patients and Surfaces: Integrated Clinical-Environmental Surveillance of MDR Gram-Negative Bacteria in Critical-Care Units (Karachi, 2024-2025).Microorganisms · 2025Article
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- Importance of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) Emitter Configuration for Clostridioides difficile Attenuation.Cureus · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA threshold for surface hygiene has not been defined for the healthcare arena. We aimed to identify the magnitude of bacterial contamination of frequently touched sites in the intensive care unit (ICU) environment that could be used to guide quality improvement initiatives.
methodsNineteen patients in a mixed ICU environment (providing care for medical and surgical patients) were followed from admission for 72 hours in 2010. Baseline cultures of frequently touched environmental sites were obtained at time zero following active decontamination and at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours without further disinfection. We tested for an association of environmental reservoirs returning ≥ 100 colony-forming units (CFU) per surface area sampled with major bacterial pathogen detection.
resultsThere were 446 ICU room, day, and reservoir combinations sampled from 19 patients. There were pathogens detected in 40% (79/199) of samples with ≥ 100 CFU vs. 14% (35/247) of samples returning < 100 CFU. The relative risk was 2.80 (95% CI: 1.97-3.98, P <0.0001). The odds ratio adjusted for time in hours was 3.11 (95% CI: 1.84-5.34, P < 0.0001).
conclusionsFrequently touched ICU environmental sites returning ≥ 100 CFU are associated with major bacterial pathogen detection. This threshold for surface hygiene can be used to ensure compliance with ICU environmental cleaning protocols and to guide quality improvement initiatives.
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Registered trials
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