Abstract
BackgroundWe estimated the nationwide burden of nosocomial S. aureus bloodstream infection (SA-BSI), a major cause of nosocomial infection, in South Korea.MethodsTo evaluate the nationwide incidence of nosocomial SA-BSI, cases of SA-BSI were prospectively collected from 22 hospitals with over 500 beds over 4?months. Data on patient-days were obtained from a national health insurance database containing the claims data for all healthcare facilities in South Korea. The additional cost of SA-BSI was estimated through a matched case?control study. The economic burden was calculated from the sum of the medical costs, the costs of caregiving and loss of productivity.ResultsThree hundred and thirty nine cases of nosocomial SA-BSI were included in the study: 254 cases of methicillin-resistant SA-BSI (MRSA-BSI) and 85 cases of methicillin-susceptible SA-BSI (MSSA-BSI). Death related to BSI occurred in 81 cases (31.9%) of MRSA-BSI and 12 cases (14.1%) of MSSA-BSI. The estimated incidence of nosocomial MRSA-BSI was 0.12/1,000 patient-days and that of nosocomial MSSA-BSI, 0.04/1,000 patient-days. The estimated annual cases of nosocomial BSI were 2,946 for MRSA and 986 for MSSA in South Korea. The additional economic burden per case of nosocomial SA-BSI was US $20,494 for MRSA-BSI and $6,914 for MSSA-BSI. Total additional annual cost of nosocomial SA-BSI was $67,192,559.ConclusionIn view of the burden of nosocomial SA-BSI, a national strategy for reducing nosocomial SA-BSI is urgently needed in South Korea.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0590-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
We estimated the nationwide burden of nosocomial S. aureus bloodstream infection (SA-bloodstream infections (BSIs)), a major cause of nosocomial infection, in South Korea
Community-associated infections consisted of 43 cases of MRSA-BSI and 109 cases of MSSA-BSI; 71 of the MRSA-BSI and 55 of the MSSA-BSI were healthcare-associated community-onset infections
254 cases of MRSA-BSI and 85 cases of MSSA-BSI were included in the analysis
Summary
We estimated the nationwide burden of nosocomial S. aureus bloodstream infection (SA-BSI), a major cause of nosocomial infection, in South Korea. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a public health challenge, greatly affecting patient safety. HAIs impose a significant economic burden on the healthcare system. In the U.S, the burden of HAIs is reported periodically [4,5,6], and changing trends can be used to indicate infection control effectiveness. Data on the nationwide burden of HAI in Asian countries are lacking. A national surveillance system, the Korean Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (KONIS) monitors HAIs [7], but only ICU-acquired bloodstream infections (BSIs) were included. Studies estimating the burden of nationwide nosocomial infection are urgently required
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.
