Clostridium difficile (C-diff)?

Question

I am a cleaner in an old peoples home where an lady has just come back from hospital and she got C-diff when she was there we are told it has gone but we are being on the carefull side we are keeping her in her room putting aprons,gloves, masks on each time we go in her room when we clean her room we use a steam cleaner because the steam cleaner gets to a high temp. it is ment to kill germs she is incontinent. and poo ends up on the floor we use the steam cleaner on it but the stain dose not go away so does that mean the germs are still there but the steam at a high temp. kills germs. HELP!!!

Answer 1

I do appreciate your concern as a health care professional.

First, I am not explaining you about what is c.diff and how it spreads etc; I hope, the answers above had said many things about C.Diff.

In regard to your question, first you need to know that steam cleaning has not been proved to kill or inactivate the C.Diff. The best cleaning agent is Hypochlorite solutions( chlor-clean).(Recommended by the Department of Health,UK) Every surface and equipments must be cleaned with hypochlorite solutions thouroughly everyday, preferably every shift.
It is good to appreciate that you have been following standard precautions.And, I hope, the patient is on appropriate antibiotic therapy(flagyl or vancomycin by mouth).
In my area of practice, we use a specially designed faecal collector(fits around the anus) which drains into a bag to contain the poo. It is the other method of preventing the spread of C,Diff and it`s spore.However, patient consent and co-operation is important in this matter. Hand hygiene is a vital part of preventing the spread of c.diff and Alcohol base gels are ineffective. I hope, the patient is isolated.
As your patient is from other hospital and having the active symptoms of C.Diff, it is better to send a stool sample to confirm the infection. In my practice, we only discharge our patients into the community or any other health care settings after confirming three stool samples negative and the patient is having no diarrhoea.
Hope, this helps.

Answer 2

At a minimum, these measures are recommended:
* Hospital staff wear disposable gloves — and disposable gowns if soiling of clothes is likely — when treating people with C. difficile infections. They wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after treating each patient, after removing gloves, and after touching surfaces that might be contaminated. Alcohol-based hand gels, which are commonly used in health care institutions, may not effectively destroy C. difficile spores.
* Visitors wash their hands with soap and warm water before entering and after leaving the room of a patient with a C. difficile infection.
* People who have a C. difficile infection have a private room or share a room with someone who has the same illness.
* All room surfaces are carefully disinfected with a product that contains chlorine bleach.
* If you have a friend or family member in a hospital or nursing home, don't be afraid to remind caregivers to follow infection control precautions. And be diligent about washing your own hands frequently with soap and warm water.
Please see the web pages for more details on Clostridium difficile.

Answer 3

clostridium forms heat resistant spores which allows them to remain in the enviroment for a long time. The only good killer that I know of is bleach. So not sure if that steam cleaner is doing the job.

Answer 4

C. difficile is a commensal bacterium of the human intestine in a minority of the population. Patients who have been staying long-term in a hospital or a nursing home have a higher likelihood of being colonized by this bacterium. In small numbers it does not result in disease of any significance. Antibiotics, especially those with a broad spectrum of activity, cause disruption of normal intestinal flora, leading to an overgrowth of C. difficile. This leads to pseudomembranous colitis.

Answer 5

The stain shouldn't contain any germs since you used the steam cleaner on it.

Answer 6

to protect yourself u could try taking actimel (only actimel not any of the other similar drinks) on This Morning the other week they were saying this has been proved to help prevent u catching c-diff and they recommended 2 a day week b4 going in hospital and for wk after coming out. may be worth u taking it

Answer 7

I sincerely doubt that you are at risk for infection. Follow your standard precautions and you should be fine. Sorry I have no tips for removing stool stains from floors or carpets.

Answer 8

clean it with bleach