Quality & Patient Safety

Tainted alcohol wipes cause infections at Colorado hospital

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, March 9, 2011

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor Alert!

Staff at the Children's Hospital in Aurora, CO, became alarmed last fall when some young patients developed bloodstream infections from a rare bacteria, according to MSNBC.com. Staff acted quickly and discovered the source was the alcohol wipes used throughout the hospital.

The wipes are supplied by the Triad Group of Hartland, WI. Hospital officials estimate about 2,500 wipes are used each day. The Triad Group recalled 975,922 cases of products. Though Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials wrote that certain procedures to prevent microbiological contamination were not followed in an inspection report of the plant in 2009, MSNBC reported that there is no record of any warning letter sent to the company by the FDA.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor Alert!

    Patient Safety Monitor
  • Patient Safety Monitor

    As part of your Patient Safety Monitor membership, you'll receive Briefings on Patient Safety. In this 12-page monthly...

  • Patient Safety Monitor Alert

    This e-mail newsletter provides healthcare professionals with the latest patient safety news, while offering useful...

  • Patient Safety Quality Monthly

    Ken Rohde, Senior Consultant for The Greeley Company with over 25 years of experience in quality management. His roles in...

  • Occurrence Reporting:

    Take advantage of the information occurrence reports provide and make sustainable enhancements at your facility. Expert...

  • Proven Methods for Drastically Reducing CAUTIs

    Join nurse practitioner Mikel Gray, PhD, PNP, FNP, CUNP CCCN, FAANP, FAAN, and chief of infection prevention and 2012 APIC...

Most Popular

Related Articles