Sharon Beamer, Army Audiology and Speech Center,
Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), Washington, D.C.
LCDR Frank Weaver, USPHS, Indian Health Service (IHS),
National Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, New Mexico
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Methisillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a growing public health issue in the United States and abroad. MRSA infections are increasingly common in hospitals and among patients with depressed immune systems. The percentage of nosocomial MRSA increased from 2% in 1974 to approximately 50% in 1997 (Lowy, F. 1998). Factors such as recent hospitalization or surgery, residence in a nursing home or intravenous drug use place the patient at risk for MRSA. MRSA, however, is also emerging as a community-acquired pathogen among patients without depressed immune systems or established risk factors.
Since the staphylococcus bacteria can produce a variety of diseases ranging from skin lesions to pneumonia, patients with MRSA are often treated with ototoxic medications and may present with vestibular or otologic symptoms. In addition, MRSA may be present in patients with otitis externa that has been recalcitrant to medical intervention. This presentation will review the issues and challenges faced in the audiologic mangement of patients with MRSA. Case studies of patients with MRSA will be used to illustrate the issues.