Highlights
- •We report a case of a cutaneous fungal infection related to patient tape.
- •We report a survey of tape storage and use practices in surrounding facilities.
- •Tape manufacturer recommendations are not consistently followed.
- •No national organizations provide published guidelines on tape storage.
- •This gap in tape storage and use practice places patients at risk for harm.
We report a case of a cutaneous fungal infection in a 12-year-old oncology patient
related to patient tape. Our facility had no established guidelines for patient tape.
A survey conducted of multiple local healthcare facilities revealed no existing policies
or standards of care related to tape storage or use. This reveals a gap in practice.
We call for formal recommendations for tape storage and use to enhance patient safety.
Key Words
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References
- Healthcare-associated mucormycosis.Clin Infect Dis. 2012; 54: S44-S54
- Outbreak of cutaneous zygomycosis associated with the use of adhesive tape in haematology patients.J Hosp Infect. 2012; 81: 213-215
- Nosocomial outbreak of rhizopus infections associated with Elastoplast* wound dressings – Minnesota.MMWR. 1978; 27: 33-34
- Rhizopus surgical wound infection associated with elasticized adhesive tape dressings.Arch Surg. 1979; 114: 738-739
- Cutaneous Rhizopus infection: Occurrence as a postoperative complication associated with an elasticized dressing.J Am Med Assoc. 1979; 242: 272-274
- Cutaneous phycomycosis: report of three cases with identification of Rhizopus.Arch Dermatol. 1979; 115: 990-992
- Mucormycosis outbreak associated with hospital linens.Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2014; 33: 472-476
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 16, 2014
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
