MRSA
Patients at high risk of MRSA carriage:
- Patients who are known to have previously been MRSA positive
- Frequent admissions to any healthcare facility
- Transfers from other hospitals, in the UK or abroad
- Residents in residential care facilities
- Those who have had any hospital admission within the previous 6 months
Screening
The following groups require a screen for MRSA when admitted as an emergency (within 24 hours of admission) or are to be admitted electively for a planned procedure or series of treatments:
- All patients (adult and children) admitted to high-risk specialties, defined as:
- Vascular
- Renal unit/dialysis
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Haematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Head and Neck cancer surgery patients
- Transplantation Surgery
- Orthopaedics/Trauma
- All Intensive Care Units (Adult/Paediatrics ICUs, CTCCU, Neonatal ICU, High Dependency Units, Coronary Care Unit)
- All patients currently receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or has undergone it in the last 12 weeks prior to admission
- Patients admitted from other healthcare settings, including other hospitals, nursing, and residential homes
- Patients admitted from outside the UK
- All patients previously identified as MRSA colonised or infected
- All patients with a planned procedure involving device implantation e.g., Hickman lines, implantable cardiac device, mesh implant, breast implant (this list is NOT exhaustive).
How to carry out an MRSA screen
The Trust has moved to a multi‑site swabbing approach, which includes collecting swabs from the:
-
Throat
-
Nose
-
Axilla
-
Groin
See MRSA At a glance for more information.
Use the white top MWE Transwab MW167S:
- White stick should be used for throat and nose.
- Red stick should be used for axilla and groin.
Treatment of MRSA infections
IV vancomycin is the mainstay of treatment for MRSA infections (NOT colonisation).
Alternative treatment including oral options should be discussed with Microbiology/ID.
MRSA patients need to be isolated, with contact precautions. For decolonisation advice see MRSA decolonisation guidance and use MRSA decolonisation EPR PowerPlan to prescribe decolonisation.
See Infection Control website for policies on MRSA screening, isolation and decolonisation.