Assessment of Healthcare Associated Infections in a Medical Intensive Care Unit

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess the current status of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in our institution during a 2-year period in relation to causative agents and their distribution, use and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, and infection rate and incidence in comparison with national data. Methods: Patients admitted to Medical ICUs of Meram State Hospital between 1st Jan 2019 and 31st Dec 2020 wereincluded. During a 2-year period a total of 47 patients were diagnosed with HAIs based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Network (NNISN) criteria. Results: During 6041 follow-up days for 922 patients admitted to ICU, a total of 47 HAIs cases were detected. The most common types of HAIs included healthcare-associated pneumonia in 21 patients (45.6%) and other infections of the respiratory system in 12 patients (26.1%). The most common causative agent was Acinetobacter baumannii, which was found in 27 patients (50.9%). Conclusion: HAIs is an unavoidable condition in ICUs owing to a number of factors such as frequent use of invasive devices, prolonged length of admission, and increased number of complications. One of the major health targets in healthcare facilities is to control an manage HAIs. Avoidance from unnecessary catheterizations, timely removal of invasive catheters, increased adherence to infection control measures, prevention of inappropriate antibiotic use, compliance with isolation procedures, and initiation of appropriate antibiotherapy based on documentation of causative organisms will significantly reduce HAIs incidence.