RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Contaminated environmental surfaces in the health care setting put patients at risk of acquiring health care-associated infections. Highlight (Kinnos) is a novel color-additive technology for disinfectant wipes that helps users visualize surfaces that have been cleaned by producing a transient color on wiped surfaces that fades off after effective cleaning. METHODS: To quantify the impact of real-time visual feedback on room cleanliness and efficiency, a pre-post quasi-experimental study was conducted by comparing Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) plate counts and room turnaround times with and without the use of the color additive. RESULTS: Compared with the control group of disinfectant alone, disinfection with the color additive resulted in a 69.2% improvement in room cleanliness accompanied by a 5.9% faster room turnover time. DISCUSSION: As far as we know, this study is the first to publish on the impact of a novel color additive on the environment of care as measured by microbial culturing and room turnaround times, finding advantages in both metrics relative to the status quo. CONCLUSIONS: The use of real-time visual feedback can improve the thoroughness of disinfection cleaning while maintaining operational efficiency.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) is a simple and an inexpensive tool which can be used to assess the cumulative effect of atherosclerotic risk factors and it is also an independent predictor of the future cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, criticism has been raised throughout the scientific community, based on the observations which indicated a weak correlation between CIMT and coronary atherosclerosis. It has been suggested by the International Atherosclerosis Project, that the atherosclerotic process occurs at the same time in the carotid, cerebral and the coronary arteries. Measurement of the Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) of the Common Carotid Artery (CCA) by B-mode ultrasound was found to be a suitable non-invasive method, to visualize the arterial walls and to monitor the early stages of the atherosclerotic process. AIM: This study sought to determine the usefulness of B-mode ultrasound as a non-invasive marker to examine the association between CIMT and the extent and the severity of coronary artery disease and its association with the cardiovascular risk factors, if any. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done among hundred cases and hundred age and sex matched controls who were in the age group of 30-65 years. The cases included those who had undergone coronary angiography. The controls included non-diabetic non-hypertensives with no cardiovascular risk factors. The CIMT was assessed by using a 7MHz linear array transducer. Fasting blood samples were collected for measuring the blood sugar and the lipid profiles. RESULTS: The statistical analysis was done by using the Student's t test and ANOVA and a p value of <0.001 was considered to be significant. The Average Carotid Intima Media Thickness (AVCIMT) was higher in the cases (0.90 vs 0.47 in controls, p<0.001, very highly significant). The AVCIMT was found to be higher in those with triple vessel disease (1.00mm)