Abstract
Background Hospital-acquired blood stream infections are a common and serious complication in critically ill patients. Methods A retrospective case series was undertaken investigating the incidence and causes of bacteraemia in an adult intensive care unit with a high proportion of postoperative cardiothoracic surgical and oncology patients. Results 405 eligible patients were admitted to the intensive care unit over the course of nine months. 12 of these patients developed a unit-acquired blood stream infection. The average Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score of patients who developed bacteraemia was greater than that of those who did not (19.8 versus 16.8, respectively). The risk of developing bacteraemia was associated with intubation and higher rates of invasive procedures. The mortality rate amongst the group of patients that developed bacteraemia was 33%; this is in contrast to the mortality rate in our unit as 27.2%. There was a higher proportion of Gram-negative bacteria isolated on blood cultures (9 out of 13 isolates) than in intensive care units reported in other studies. Conclusion Critical-care patients are at risk of secondary bloodstream infection. This study highlights the importance of measures to reduce the risk of infection in the intensive-care setting, particularly in patients who have undergone invasive procedures.
Highlights
Hospital-acquired blood stream infections are a common and serious complication in critically ill patients
12 were diagnosed with a unit-acquired blood stream infections (BSIs) giving an observed rate of 3.0%. e mean age was 63.8 years. e male-tofemale ratio in the group of patients diagnosed with BSI was 1 : 1
Background- and admission-related risk factors for developing an intensive-care units (ICUs)-acquired BSI are shown in Table 1. e mean ICU admission APACHE II score of patients who developed a unit-acquired BSI was 19.8, compared to 16.8 in the patients in the cohort not diagnosed with BSI. ree of the 12 admissions were surgical in nature, while the rest were composed of critically unwell oncological and cardiovascular or respiratory patients. e mean ICU stay of these patients was 28 days
Summary
Hospital-acquired blood stream infections are a common and serious complication in critically ill patients. 12 of these patients developed a unit-acquired blood stream infection. Hospital-acquired blood stream infections (BSIs) are a common and serious complication in critically ill patients. Nosocomial infection in intensive-care units (ICUs) has been shown to have prevalence as high as one-fifth of patients [1]. Higher rate of infection in critically ill patients is associated with the use of central venous catheters, invasive ventilation, urinary catheters, and other invasive devices and equipment [3, 4]. Central-venous-catheter-related and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are the most common sources of secondary bacteraemia in critically ill patients [6]. Recent studies during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown higher rates of Gram-negative infection in patients with COVID-19 requiring intensive care [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
