From the Guidelines
The CDC provides recommendations for protective precautions for hospitalized immunocompromised patients, including minimizing exposures to activities that might cause aerosolization of fungal spores and providing respiratory protection when they must leave their rooms. These recommendations are based on guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities, which aim to minimize the risk of infection in immunocompromised patients 1. The guidelines recommend that severely immunocompromised patients should wear a high-efficiency respiratory-protection device, such as an N95 respirator, when they leave the protective environment during periods of construction, renovation, or other dust-generating activities 1.
Some key precautions for immunocompromised patients include:
- Minimizing time outside the protective environment for diagnostic procedures and other activities 1
- Providing respiratory protection for severely immunocompromised patients when they must leave the protective environment 1
- Implementing protective environment measures, such as HEPA filtration of room air and positive room air pressure relative to corridors 1
- Practicing strict hand hygiene and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (masks, gowns, gloves) 1
- Limiting visitors and screening them for communicable diseases 1
- Avoiding certain items like fresh flowers, plants, or standing water due to potential fungal contamination 1
These precautions are crucial in minimizing exposure to pathogens that could cause severe or life-threatening infections in patients with compromised immune systems, as they lack the normal defense mechanisms to fight infections effectively 1.
From the Research
Protective Precautions for Hospitalized Immunocompromised Patients
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidelines for protective precautions in hospitalized patients, including those who are immunocompromised 2.
- These guidelines include the use of standard and isolation precautions, such as droplet, airborne, and contact precautions, to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases 2.
- Immunocompromised patients are at a higher risk of developing opportunistic infections, such as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), which can be life-threatening 3, 4, 5.
- The CDC recommends that healthcare providers take precautions to prevent the transmission of PCP and other opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and isolation precautions 2.
- The use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is recommended for the prevention and treatment of PCP in immunocompromised patients, but it is important to monitor for adverse effects and consider alternative treatments if necessary 6, 4, 5.