In this study, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and economic burden of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) in a university hospital in a middle-income country. Surveillance data between April 2011 and April 2013 in the Orthopedic Surgery Department was evaluated. Patients (>16 years old) who had primary arthroplasty in Erciyes University were included in the study, and patients with preoperative infection were excluded. Patients were followed up during their stay in the hospital and during readmission to the hospital for PJI by a trained Infection Control Nurse. During the study period, 670 patients were followed up. There were 420 patients (62.7%) with total hip arthroplasty (THA), 241 (36.0%) with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 9 (1.3%) with shoulder arthroplasty (SA). The median age was 64, and 70.6% were female. The incidence of PJI was 1.2% (5/420) in THA, 4.6% (11/241) in TKA and 0% (0/9) in SA. PJI was significantly more prevalent in TKA (p=0.029). All of the PJIs showed early infection, and the median time for the development of PJI was 23.5 days (range 7-120 days). The median total length of the hospital stay was seven times higher in PJI patients than patients without PJI (49 vs. 7 days, p=0.001, retrospectively). All hospital costs were 2- to 24-fold higher in patients with PJI than in those without PJI (p=0.001). In conclusion, the incidence and economic burden of PJI was high. Implementing a national surveillance system and infection control protocols in hospitals is essential for the prevention of PJI and a cost-effective solution for the healthcare system in low-middle-income countries.

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BackgroundPatients in resourced-limited neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (NICU and PICU) are vulnerable to healthcare associated infections (HAI). We report the incidence of HAI, multidrug resistant microorganisms (MDROs) and the pattern of antibiotic usage in the first six years of a surveillance program in a teaching hospital in Turkey.MethodsBetween 2007 and 2012 surveillance data for HAI, MDROs and antibiotic usage were collected from the infection control department, pathology, hospital admissions and pharmacy. In 2009 hand hygiene auditing was introduced. Hand sanitizer usage was expressed as liters per 1000 patient-days. Antibiotic usage was presented as defined daily doses (DDD). Evidence of change in the incidence of HAI was tested using Poison regression modeling.ResultsThe rate of gram negative MDRO in PICU increased significant between 2007 and 2012 (IRR 1.5, P = 0.033) but remained unchanged in NICU (P = 0.824). By 2012 ceftriaxone prescribing in PICU had decreased while carbapenem prescribing increased by 80 %. In NICU carbapenem decreased by 42 % and betalactam decreased by 29 %. Hand hygiene compliance significantly improved in PICU (IRR 1.9, p < 0.001) and NICU (IRR 2.2, p < 0.001) but compliance remained modest after three years with inconsistent levels across the 5 moments.ConclusionThe early years of our infection control program highlights the endemicity of HAI and MDROs in our NICU and PICU. The consistent pattern of antibiotic usage, endemic MROs in PICU and modest hand hygiene clearly provide strategic focuses for intervention.