Current Pattern and Clinico-Bacteriological Profile of Healthcare Associated Infections in an ICU Setting: A Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in Delhi

Abstract

Background: Global prevalence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) ranges anywhere between 7% and 12% as per WHO estimates. This study was undertaken to understand the pattern and types of HAI at a selected healthcare facility and to determine the common causative agents and their antibiotic susceptibility profile. Methods: One hundred consecutive patients diagnosed with HAI were enrolled and monitored; the causative organisms isolated on culture were recorded and their sensitivity profiles were generated.Results: There were a total of 110 HAIs with 10 patients having two infections each. 69 patients had ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), 21 patients had catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) patients, 20 patients had central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and 10 patients had both VAP and CAUTI. All of the HAIs were device associated. 76 pathogens were isolated on culture. No organism was isolated in 40 HAI. Majority (94.7%) of the organisms were gram-negative and all were multidrug resistant. Seventy-seven of the enrolled patients expired while 23 patients were discharged from the hospital.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that HAIs occur in patients of all age groups; younger patients were not spared. Majority of the HAIs were caused by multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria and were associated with high mortality. Acinetobacter species was the most common organism associated with HAI.