Running Head: VRE 1

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus

Andrew Jo

Rasmussen College

NUR2439C Nursing I Clinical

Authors Note

This assignment is being submitted on May 20th, 2017 for Nursing I: Clinical

(NUR2439C) Anita Spivey.

VRE 2

Enterococci is a common bacterium that is of the normal flora in the intestines of the

female genital-urinary (GU) tract. Because they are local inhabitants to the human gut and

female GU tract, they do not normally cause problem unless they get become introduced to the

urinary tract, the circulatory system, or even open wounds (Vyas, 2016). Enterococci are gram-

positive cocci that are mistaken for streptococcus, and vancomycin, an antibiotic, targets gram-

positive bacteria such as enterococci, which makes it a compatible candidate for the first line of

defense against an enterococci infection (Skyscape, 2017). If not properly treated,

As I have been attending clinical, I have noticed many patients on IV vancomycin, so

seeing patients with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) sounds like a complication that is

born nosocomial. The thing that makes VRE more complicated to treat is the fact that there are

less antibiotics that can fight the infection, which can lead to excess mortality, prolonged hospital

stay, and increased treatment cost (Welsh, 2015). As nurses, if vancomycin does not seem to be

effective in treating the infection within the normal limits of antibiotic medication therapy

(especially with a stable vancomycin trough), we should assess for signs of infection such as

fever, fatigue, nausea, tachycardia, diaphoresis (etc.), discontinue the vancomycin and call the

physician and report these findings (Pravikoff, 2015).

In terms of medical treatment plan, when VRE is colonized (a part of the normal flora of

the body), there is no need for treatment, but when we are faced with an infection of VRE, the

prescriber must discover alternative antibiotic treatment plans that target gram-positive bacteria.

The expected outcomes should involve the patient to recover given that the patient does not have

another resistant to the alternative antibiotic therapy as well as an allergy to the alternative

antibiotic (CDC, 2012).

VRE 3

References

CDC. (2012, May 10). Healthcare-associated Infections. Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/vre/vre.html

Pravikoff, D. (October, 2014). Infection Prevention: Implementing Isolation Precautions.

CINAHL Nursing Guide. Retrieved from:

http://ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t

ue&db=nrc&AN=T704302&site=nrc-live.

Skyscape. (2017). Skyscape Medical Resources (Version 2.6.1) [Mobile application software].

Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skyscape-medical

library/id818609413?mt=8.

Vyas, J. M. (2016, March 13). Vancomycin-resistant enterococci - hospital. Retrieved from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000476.htm

Welsh, John. (March, 2015). Reconsidering Contact Precautions for MRSA and VRE. AJN,

American Journal of Nursing. 115(3):14,15, March 2015. Doi:

10.1097/01.NAJ.0000461795.91538.ac.