Vancomycin use in surrounding patients during critical illness and risk for persistent colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.

The optimal duration of contact precautions for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE)-colonized patients is uncertain and individual patient characteristics alone may not predict risk of prolonged colonization. Using a cohort of adult patients who underwent testing for VRE at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, we tested the association between local (unit-level) vancomycin use and persistent colonization with VRE. Higher unit-level vancomycin use significantly prolonged VRE colonization (P=0.03) independent of patient-level vancomycin use and unit VRE density.