Epidemiology, Prevalence, and Sites of Infections in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) have a higher risk of acquiring hospital-associated infections than those in non-critical care areas. ICUs are sites of considerable broad-spectrum antibiotic use, and antibiotic-resistant pathogens are frequent. Bloodstream infections (BSIs), pneumonias, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common hospital-acquired infections and are most often associated with the use of invasive devices. They differ in importance in different types of ICUs. Coagulase-negative staphylococcus BSIs have recently increased in frequency, and enterococci have been as frequently reported as Staphylococcus aureus as causing BSIs in increasing numbers of U.S. ICUs. Fungal urinary tract sepsis has also increased. Device-associated infection rates represent the most useful surveillance rates for comparison between units and over time, but they differ considerably between ICU types. Outbreaks are common in ICUs. Recently, gram-negative bacilli have been reported more frequently than gram-positives in this setting, especially in NICUs. Considerable crude mortality and major costs are associated with these infections, but controversy persists over the degree of mortality attributable to them.

Implementing selective digestive tract decontamination in the intensive care unit: A qualitative analysis of nurse-identified considerations

“…Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are the most common complication affecting hospitalised patients (Productivity Commission, 2009) with critically ill patients at risk because of advanced age, severity of illness, poor nutritional status (Richards et al, 2003) and the need for invasive devices. (Doyle et al, 2011) It is estimated that more than half of ICU patients would have an infection (Vincent et al, 2009) and most of these will have originated in the respiratory tract.…”

Profile of Infections in Intensive Care Unit (Icu) in a Central Nigeria Tertiary Hospital

“…Une durée accrue du séjour, un nombre accru de demeurants et d'appareils et une utilisation prolongée ou inappropriée d'antibiotiques sont des caractéristiques communes de soins intensifs, avec l'augmentation conséquente ou associés de la sélection des agents pathogènes multi-résistants, de la morbidité et de la mortalité. The common pathogens include Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida species, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species, often predisposed to by invasive applications and devices, and patients' clinical conditions (8,9).These infections account substantially for the high mortality in ICUs. Antimicrobial resistance constitutes a major challenge in the management of ICU infections, and these often emerged from selective pressure due to increased, and sometimes inappropriate antibiotic use and transmission via health workers.…”

A Mini Review of Candida Species in Hospital Infection: Epidemiology,Virulence Factor and Drugs Resistance and Prophylaxis

“…However, the risk of infection is determined by the interaction between epidemiological factors, degree of immunosuppression, and exposure to potentially pathogenic fungi in the hospital environment [22]. The epidemiological pattern of infection observed in the ICU is the result of a combination of factors related to the condition of medical-surgical patients and the degree of iatrogenic intervention [23,24]. Intensive care units represent a point of interface between the more severe patients who receive multiple therapies and aggressive and more resistant pathogens, which are selected by prolonged antimicrobial therapy [25,26].…”