A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association has found that the incidence of central line-associated MRSA infections in intensive care units has decreased significantly in the past decade.

MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a particularly aggressive bacterium that, because of the overuse of antibiotics, has developed a resistance to many conventional antibiotic treatments. Many healthy individuals may unknowingly carry MRSA with no ill effects, but it can pose a serious threat to immuno-compromised individuals, including multiple myeloma patients who have received stem-cell transplants. These patients can remain in the hospital for up to two weeks following the procedure, and during this time, their immune systems remain weakened and susceptible to infection because of the chemotherapy and loss of blood cells. Invasive medical devices like central lines then provide a breeding ground for infection, making such patients especially susceptible.

In recent years, many hospitals have implemented new measures to prevent such infections. The study found that the overall rate of MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infections fell by 49.6 percent in the past decade. Though the findings yielded no specific recommendations regarding methods of prevention, the results indicated that policies implemented thus far have generally been effective and that hospitals should continue to employ proven prevention strategies.

For more information, please read the news article posted on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Web site. The full study can be found in The Journal of the American Medical Association.