CBM Infection Prevention & Treatment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which route of administration is preferred for systemic antibiotic therapy in a burn patient with suspected sepsis?
- Oral
- Intramuscular
- Intravenous (Correct answer)
- Subcutaneous
Correct answer: Intravenous
Intravenous administration is preferred in burn patients because altered GI motility and absorption can make oral dosing unreliable.
Question 2: Which topical agent provides the best eschar penetration and is the agent of choice for suspected burn wound infections?
- Silver nitrate 0.5% solution
- Silver sulfadiazine cream
- Mafenide acetate cream (Correct answer)
- Bacitracin ointment
Correct answer: Mafenide acetate cream
Mafenide acetate diffuses freely into eschar, making it the preferred agent when burn wound infection is suspected.
Question 3: When should prophylactic systemic antibiotics be administered in burn care?
- Immediately after every burn injury
- Only during surgical procedures in burn patients (Correct answer)
- Routinely for burns greater than 20% TBSA
- For all patients with inhalation injury
Correct answer: Only during surgical procedures in burn patients
Prophylactic antibiotics are indicated perioperatively for burn excision and grafting, not as routine prophylaxis for all burn injuries.
Question 4: A burn patient on broad-spectrum antibiotics develops profuse watery diarrhea on day 10. The most important next step is:
- Start loperamide
- Order stool test for Clostridioides difficile toxin (Correct answer)
- Increase oral fluid intake
- Switch to a low-fiber diet
Correct answer: Order stool test for Clostridioides difficile toxin
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea in a hospitalized burn patient should prompt immediate testing for C. difficile, a potentially life-threatening colitis.
Question 5: Which practice is most effective in preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in burn patients?
- Routine catheter exchanges every 72 hours
- Bladder irrigations with antibiotic solution
- Removal of urinary catheter as soon as adequate urine output is established (Correct answer)
- Prophylactic oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
Correct answer: Removal of urinary catheter as soon as adequate urine output is established
The most effective CAUTI prevention strategy is removing the indwelling catheter at the earliest clinically appropriate time.
Question 6: Which laboratory finding is most suggestive of gram-negative sepsis in a burn patient?
- Elevated serum albumin
- Thrombocytopenia with leukopenia (Correct answer)
- Polycythemia
- Elevated serum bicarbonate
Correct answer: Thrombocytopenia with leukopenia
A combination of falling platelet counts and white cell count depression often heralds gram-negative bacteremia in burn patients.
Question 7: Which dressing type provides a sustained antimicrobial effect and reduces dressing change frequency in burn wound care?
- Dry gauze dressing
- Petrolatum-impregnated gauze
- Nanocrystalline silver dressing (Correct answer)
- Wet saline dressing
Correct answer: Nanocrystalline silver dressing
Nanocrystalline silver dressings release silver ions continuously for up to 7 days, reducing both bacterial burden and dressing change frequency.
CBM Infection Prevention & Treatment 3
Which route of administration is preferred for systemic antibiotic therapy in a burn patient with suspected sepsis?