Control of nosocomial acquisition of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus through active surveillance of hemodialysis patients.

Hemodialysis-dependent patients are an important VRE source. After implementation of active surveillance for VRE targeting hemodialysis patients, the hospital-wide nosocomial VRE rate increased by 41%, but decreased by 41% among non-hemodialysis patients (P = .05). To assess the effectiveness of active surveillance, patients undergoing active surveillance should be analyzed separately from other patients.