Chute-Hydropulping Waste Disposal System: A Reservoir of Enteric Bacilli and Pseudomonas in a Modern Hospital

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Abstract
This report details an investigation of a significant increase in nosocomial gramnegative bacteremia caused by enteric bacilli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The chute-hydropulping waste disposal system was identified as a bacteria-rich reservoir, with 108 enteric bacilli and P. aeruginosa per gram of pulp. The system was found to be a gross source of airborne fecal flora. Airborne dissemination of a virus by that system was documented, and other viruses and infective agents of human disease might have been introduced from the waste pulp through the 16-story chute into the patients' ecosystem. Closure of the waste disposal complex resulted in disappearance of enteric organisms and P. aeruginosa from the hospital air. Average colony counts declined from > 150 to 40 per cubic foot of air. The incidence of nosocomial septicemia caused by P. aeruginosa and other gramnegative organisms declined concomitantly and continued at a reduced rate throughout a 19-month follow-up. Even though the evidence is circumstantial, it is urged that hospital designers prevent the described sources of gross contamination and nosocomial hazards.

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