Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus
 |
GENERAL INFORMATION:
What is it?
- Vancomycin (van-ko-MY-sin) resistant enterococcus (en-ter-oh-KOK-us) is a bacteria (bak-TEER-e-uh) (germ) that causes bad infections. It is also called VRE. Enterococci (en-ter-oh-KOX-e) live in your stomach, and usually only cause infection when you are not well. VRE may infect many different parts of your body. VRE can also infect your blood, which can be very serious. VRE is part of a growing number of bacteria that have mutated (changed) over the years. These bacteria cannot be killed by a powerful antibiotic (an-ti-bi-AH-tik) medicine called vancomycin. VRE cannot be killed very easily by many other antibiotics that caregivers use for infections. VRE is a major health concern for caregivers. It cannot be treated very easily and is very contagious (kun-TAY-jus) (easy to spread).
- Many healthy people, including caregivers, have VRE and do not know it. VRE can also live on your skin and in your throat. You may not be sick or have any signs or symptoms of infection. This is called colonization (kol-ih-nih-ZAY-shun). When you are colonized with VRE, you can give it to other people and make them sick. VRE can live for long periods of time on many hard surfaces. This makes it very easy for you to get VRE without being sick or in the hospital.
What is vancomycin?
- Vancomycin is a powerful type of antibiotic that is used to treat very bad or life threatening infections. It kills bacteria in a different way than other antibiotics do. It is very strong and is usually used when other antibiotics have not worked. Caregivers count on vancomycin to kill tough bacteria when other antibiotics cannot. Some bacteria cannot be killed by vancomycin. Caregivers may not be able to use vancomycin for very bad infections.
- Caregivers have been giving vancomycin to people when other antibiotics may also work. Instead of giving vancomycin after trying other antibiotics, caregivers are using it before trying other antibiotics. This is one of the reasons some bacteria are resistant to vancomycin. Vancomycin is often the last drug used to treat many infections.
Who gets VRE? VRE is usually spread to others from the hands of caregivers and from hospital equipment. VRE can live on gloves, telephones, stethoscopes, and countertops for up to seven days. VRE can live anywhere, and anyone can get it. You are at higher risk if you:
- Have ever received vancomycin or other antibiotics for a long period of time.
- Have a life-long illness.
- Have a very weak immune system. This is when your body cannot fight off illnesses others would normally fight off.
- Are an intravenous (in-truh-V-nus) (IV) drug user.
- Have had an organ transplant, especially liver.
- Are a dialysis (di-AL-ih-sis) patient.
- Have been in the intensive care unit (ICU), or around someone that has VRE.
- Have had any surgeries, especially abdominal, pelvic, heart, brain, or spinal cord surgeries.
- Have any tubes placed in you for a medical condition. These include tubes used for certain abdominal procedures, feeding tubes, and IV tubes.
How do I know if I have VRE? If you have an infection that is not getting better with your antibiotic treatment, you may not be on the right antibiotic for your infection. Your caregiver may need to change your antibiotic. There is also a small chance that you may have VRE. The only way to know if you have VRE is for your caregiver to do a culture. During this test, your caregiver will collect drainage or a small piece of tissue from your infected area. Your caregiver may also draw blood to see if your blood might be infected with VRE. The results of these tests will tell your caregiver whether you have VRE. You may be very sick with VRE for a long time. Having a VRE infection may cause:
- Red, warm skin around the infected area.
- Fatigue (being very tired) or not having any energy.
- Fever.
- Nausea (upset stomach) and vomiting (throwing up).
- Pain and redness at the infection site.
- Swelling or drainage at the infected site.
How do I keep from getting VRE?
- Your caregiver should not give you antibiotics for illnesses caused by a virus. You may feel that you need antibiotics in order to get well. Antibiotics cannot treat or cure viral infections. By taking antibiotics for these conditions, bacteria are allowed to mutate. This may make them unable to be killed by the antibiotics caregivers use. If bacteria continue to mutate, there may be no antibiotics left to treat infections. Viral conditions usually go away in time without the need for antibiotics.
- If you have a bacterial infection and you are given antibiotics, take them as ordered by your caregiver. Keep taking them until the last one is gone, even if you feel better. By stopping your antibiotic before your caregiver tells you to, you may allow bacteria to form resistance to that antibiotic.
- Always wash your hands after you have a bowel movement (BM), before you touch any food, and after you cough or sneeze. If you have been in contact with someone who has VRE, be sure to wash your hands after visiting them.
How is VRE treated? VRE is resistant to many antibiotics. Your caregiver will need to find the antibiotic that is best for your infection. Certain antibiotics are very strong, and are only used to treat bacteria that are resistant to vancomycin. You may be treated with one of these antibiotics. Treatment with these antibiotics may continue for several weeks to make sure that your infection is completely gone. Follow your caregivers instructions. Do not stop taking the antibiotic until your caregiver tells you it is okay to do so. Other things your caregiver may do to treat your VRE include:
- Fluid drainage. Draining any fluid or pus that has collected in your infected area. This fluid makes your pain and infection worse. Your caregiver will numb the area and make a small incision (cut). Depending on how much fluid is in the infected area, your caregiver may decide to leave the area open. This allows for fluid to drain freely and for your caregiver to make sure the antibiotics are working. As your infection goes away, the open area will close and heal on its own.
- Surgery. Depending on how bad your infection is, your caregiver may need to do surgery. Your caregiver will let you know if this is necessary. Ask your caregiver if you have any questions or concerns about having surgery.
- Contact precautions. As long as you are in the hospital with VRE, you will be on special precautions called "contact precautions." This means that any caregiver entering your room will wear gloves, a gown, and a mask. This is to protect them from getting and spreading VRE. You will also be put into a private room. If another patient has VRE, you may be put in the same room as that patient. While you are on these contact precautions, you can have visitors. They will need to wear gloves and gowns. They will need to wash their hands very well with germ-killing soap after visiting you.
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.
 |
Link to Page |  |
Print Page |  |
Email Page |
