<i>Clostridium difficile</i> Contamination of Blood Pressure Cuffs: A Call for a Closer Look at Gloving Practices in the Era of Universal Precautions

Abstract

Abstract We report an outbreak of Clostridium difficile -associated diarrhea at our medical center following adoption of Universal Precautions. Environmental cultures revealed unexpected contamination of blood pressure cuffs at a rate similar to that for bedside commodes (10% and 11.5%, respectively). An obser vational sur vey revealed that healthcare workers in the patient care areas not infrequently failed to remove their potentially stool-contaminated gloves prior to touching clean surfaces, which might have contributed to contamination of blood pressure cuffs.