TVicehockey: My Site News

Parents,

we have been seeing several articles surfacing lately regarding MRSA and ice hockey, so I thought it would be a good ideal reinforce your knowledge by sending this article to you.  It provides a medical definition of the infection as well as some good preventative measures.  Please take some time to read and understand it as well as actually making sure that your player follows through with the suggestions.

MRSA and Your Hockey Player

Recent reports in the news have alerted us to the occurrence of severe, sometimes fatal infections caused by a strain of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staph. Aureus (MRSA). 

Staphylococcus (Staph) is an ubiquitous human bacteria. Benign strains of Staph are present on the skin of all humans, and the majority of strains of Staph are benign. More virulent strains can arise due to the development of resistance to antibiotics; MRSA is one such strain. The overuse of antibiotics, such as for common ear infections in children, have propelled many otherwise-benign strains of Staph and other bacterial families to develop resistance to antibiotics. Infections caused by resistant strains are more difficult to control and eradicate. Most of the serious infections and fatalities associated with MRSA occur in sick or debilitated patients in the hospital. However, the recent alarm is due to cases of MRSA-related fatalities in otherwise healthy young people. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 1 in 7 deaths due to MRSA in 2007 have occurred in healthy, non-hospitalized patients. Serious and fatal infections occur when MRSA gains access to the soft tissues beneath the skin, where it can proliferate and reach the bloodstream and vital organs like the heart, lung, and kidneys.

Defending Yourself and Your Hockey Player

Up to one-third of healthy people have MRSA on their skin; therefore, hand washing is the key to preventing the spread of the bacteria. Athletes, particularly those involved in contact sports who wear heavy equipment (such as hockey) may be at additional risk of infection because their skin is battered by copious amounts of sweat and dirt, and, can be abraded by contact with other players and their own equipment. The following is a brief list of simple precautions that can reduce the risk of infection:

1.    WASH YOUR HANDS: Everyone should wash their hands several times a day. Ideally, hockey players and coaches should, at minimum, wash their hands right after coming off the ice. Scrubbing 30 seconds with warm water and soap, taking care to scrub between the fingers and under the nails is adequate; alcohol-based hand sanitizers may be more convenient in a crowded locker room. Lingering in wet equipment with a layer of salt on the skin poses a risk for abrasions and infection, so players should shower as soon after practice as possible. 

2.    PREVENT CUTS: Hockey players are subject to many sharp edges, so care should be taken to prevent cuts and bruises. Skate guards should be on the skates before they are placed in the hockey bag. Hard plastic equipment such as helmets and shin guards should be repaired or replaced if they contain sharp edges or have screws that protrude from the surface. Proper-fitting equipment is less likely to rub or abrade the skin.

3.    TREAT CUTS: Minor scrapes and deeper cuts should be attended to immediately. They should be washed for 30 seconds with warm soap and water and covered with a clean, dry bandage. Deeper cuts should be scrubbed with an approved disinfectant solution, taking care to rub and rinse the cut edges of the skin to remove any dirt. A topical antibiotic ointment (Neosporin-polymyxin B) should be applied to more serious cuts when the wound is dry. The bandage should be changed 1-2 times a day, and should be replaced immediately after practice or a game. A doctor should be contacted at the first sign of an infection (redness, swelling, oozing yellowish fluid).