BCCHLab

My laboratory performs surveillance cultures for MRSA and VRE colonization with the use of chromogenic agar. We currently perform and report sensitivities for positive MRSA screens, but not for positive VRE screens. I am told that this is because our physicians do not routinely treat patients for VRE colonization in the absence of infection, while they do sometimes treat patients who are colonized with MRSA. I can't find much information regarding either practice. Should susceptibility results be reported along with positive MRSA or VRE surveillance cultures?

Our rural hospital lab maintains a very small inventory of FFP (usually 2 units) in a continuously monitored plasma freezer with remote alarm. One of the outpatient physicians affiliated with our hospital recently lost a few vials of Varicella vaccine when his freezer malfunctioned over the weekend. The physician has asked if he may store three vials of Varicella vaccine on a separate shelf in our plasma freezer. Is anyone aware of any regulations that would prohibit storing the vaccine in the same freezer as FFP? Thanks!