Risk Factors For Healthcare-associated Infections Research Articles

Season, weather and predictors of healthcare-associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections: a case-only study

Recent studies reported seasonality in healthcare-associated infections (HCAI). The association of this phenomenon with other risk factors for HCAI is not clear. To analyse the interplay of season, weather and usual predictors of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB-BSI). A case-only study was conducted in a teaching hospital in Brazil. The study enrolled 446 subjects with GNB-BSI diagnosed from July 2012 to June 2016. Demographic data, comorbidities, invasive procedures and use of antimicrobials were reviewed in medical charts. The season in which GNB-BSI occurred, and weather parameters on the day of diagnosis were recorded. Factors associated with occurrence of GNB-BSI in different seasons (reference category: winter) and caused by different GNB (reference category: Escherichia coli) were analysed. Uni- and multi-variable models of multi-nomial logistic regression were used for analysis. GNB-BSI diagnosed in summer was more likely to be caused by Klebsiella spp. [odds ratio (OR) 5.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.04-13.96] or Acinetobacter baumannii (OR 2.69; 95% CI 1.04-6.96), and there was an association between Klebsiella spp. and spring (OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.14-7.18). Average temperature on the day of diagnosis was associated with Klebsiella spp. (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.07-1.33) and A.baumannii (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.07-1.34). Warm seasons and daily temperature impact on the aetiology of GNB-BSI, even in models adjusted for usual risk factors. One possible explanation for these findings is that seasonality of healthcare-associated pathogens is intrinsic to micro-organisms, and not associated with comorbidities, procedures or use of antimicrobials.

Survival and predictive factors related to comprehensive geriatric assessment for the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI): A cohort study with elderly cancer patients.

e22053 Background: Elderly oncology population(EOP) corresponds to an increasing and heterogeneous group with high risk to infectious complications. Advances in antimicrobial therapy have not accompanied progress in cancer therapy. Identifying at admission the predictive factors for infection and death in the elderly population oncology is highly desirable for offering personalized care. Methods: Prospective cohort involving elderly people with cancer, followed by six months. At admission, evaluation of sociodemographic, clinical-laboratory and CGA variables. The outcomes studied were the first HAI and death. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis identified risk factors for HAI and survival of patients with and without HAI by Kaplan-Meier was compared by the log rank test. Results: 605 patients were eligible, mean age 71.3 (SD ± 7.4). 29.1% developed HAI and 33.0% died during the study follow-up, 14.2% died within three weeks after the diagnosis of HAI. The risk factors for HAI were: risk of malnutrition / malnutrition by global nutritional assessment (MAN-global ≤ 23.5) (HR 2.18 95% CI 1.53-3.11); functional performance ≤ 50 by Karnofsky (HR 1.69 95% CI 1.14-2.50); severe renal dysfunction / final stage (HR 2.51 95% CI 1.37- 4.60).The topographies of the most frequent IRAS were urinary tract infection (UTI) (39.2%), pneumonia (22.7%) and bloodstream infection (14.8%). Minor survival among patients with HAI (log rank < 0.001). About half of those with pneumonia (50.0%) or ICS (46.2%) died within six months, with 30% and 23.1% of these deaths occurring within 21 days of the diagnosis of pneumonia or ICS, respectively. Conclusions: HAI represents a problem of high morbidity and mortality for EOP. Reduced renal function, risk of malnutrition and low functional performance were independent factors for HAI, significantly reducing the survival of elderly cancer patients. These aspects should be evaluated systematically in the admission of the elderly cancer patient and taken into account in the planning of the care to be offered.

Point prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic use in three large Swiss acute-care hospitals.

The overall burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remains high, even in high-income countries. However, the current burden of HAI in Switzerland is unknown. Prevalence surveys have a long tradition in the field of infection prevention and control for measuring both HAI and antimicrobial use. The objective of this survey was to test the point prevalence survey (PPS) methodology of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in acute-care hospitals in Switzerland. Two tertiary care hospitals and one secondary care hospital in central and western Switzerland participated in the survey. Patients from all wards except for emergency departments and psychiatric wards were included. Data were collected on a single day for every ward with a maximum time frame of 2 weeks for completing data collection. Methodology and definitions were based on the most recent ECDC PPS protocol. Data on a total of 2421 patients were analysed. One hundred thirty-six patients had 153 HAIs, corresponding to a prevalence of 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.7-6.5%). Rapidly fatal McCabe score, hospitalisation in the intensive care unit (ICU), and having a medical device in place were independent risk factors for HAI. Lower respiratory tract infection was the most frequent HAI type (24.8%), followed by surgical site infection (22.2%), bloodstream infection (17.0%) and urinary tract infection (13.7%). The highest HAI prevalence (26.2%) was observed in the ICU. In total, 60.8% of all HAIs were microbiologically confirmed. The most common microorganism was Escherichia coli (21.1%). Six hundred sixty-nine patients (27.6%, 95% CI 25.9-29.4%) received 893 antimicrobials for 705 indications. Community-acquired infections (39.0%) were the most common indication for antimicrobial use and amoxicillin-clavulanate was the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial (18.4%). HAI prevalence and antimicrobial use in this survey were similar to findings of the past ECDC PPS. The ECDC methodology proved applicable to Swiss acute-care hospitals.

Healthcare-associated infections in paediatric and neonatal wards: A point prevalence survey at four South African hospitals.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause substantial morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. The prevalence of neonatal/paediatric HAI at South African (SA) district and regional hospitals is unknown. To document HAI rates, antimicrobial use for HAI, infection prevention staffing, hand hygiene (HH) provisions and HH compliance rates in neonatal and paediatric wards in two district and two regional hospitals in the Western Cape Province, SA. An HAI point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted in neonatal and paediatric wards at two district and two regional hospitals in the Western Cape during December 2016, applying National Healthcare Safety Network HAI definitions. HAI events and antimicrobial therapy active at 08h00 on the PPS day and during the preceding 7 days (period prevalence) were documented. Provisions for HH and HH compliance rates were observed on each ward using the World Health Organization's HH surveillance tool. Pooled point and period HAI prevalence were 9.9% (15/151; 95% confidence interval (CI) 6 - 15.8) and 12.6% (19/151; 95% CI8 - 18.9), respectively. Hospital-acquired pneumonia (5/15, 33.3%), bloodstream infection (3/15, 20.0%) and urinary tract infection (3/15, 20.0%) were predominant HAI types. Risk factors for HAI were a history of recent hospitalisation (8/19, 42.1% v. 17/132, 12.9%; p&lt;0.001) and underlying comorbidity (17/19, 89.5% v. 72/132, 54.5%; p&lt;0.004). HH provisions (handwash basins/alcohol hand rub) were available and functional. HH compliance was higher in neonatal than in paediatric wards (125/243, 51.4% v. 25/250, 10.0%; p&lt;0.001). Overall HH compliance rates were higher among mothers (46/107, 43.0%) than nurses (73/265, 27.8%) and doctors (29/106, 27.4%). Neonatal and paediatric HAIs are common adverse events at district and regional hospitals. This at-risk population should be prioritised for HAI surveillance and prevention through improved infection prevention practices and HH compliance.

Identifying Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections Caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a causative pathogen of various healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and is particularly prevalent in high-risk hospital settings. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with HAIs caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This prospective study was performed between January 2013 and June 2014 among NICU patients at the Mansoura University Children's Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt. Neonates who developed HAIs due to CRAB were assigned to a case group, while those infected with carbapenem-sensitive A. baumannii (CSAB) were assigned to a control group. Among the 124 neonates who developed A. baumannii-caused HAIs during the study period, 91 (73.4%) were caused by CRAB and 33 (26.6%) were caused by CSAB. Prematurity, premature rupture of the membranes (PROM), a previous stay in another hospital, prolonged NICU stay, the presence of invasive devices, previous exposure to carbapenems or aminoglycosides and prolonged antibiotic therapy before infection were significantly associated with CRAB-caused HAIs. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified prematurity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 25.3; P <0.01), mechanical ventilation (aOR = 18.9; P <0.01) and the previous use of carbapenems (aOR = 124.7; P <0.01) or aminoglycosides (aOR = 22.6; P = 0.04) to be independent risk factors for CRAB infections. Various risk factors were significantly associated with CRAB-caused HAIs among the studied NICU patients.

Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives:Healthcare-associated infections after pediatric cardiac surgery are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. We aimed to identify the risk factors for the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections after pediatric cardiac surgery.Design:Retrospective, single-center observational study.Setting:PICU at a tertiary children’s hospital.Patients:Consecutive pediatric patients less than or equal to 18 years old admitted to the PICU after cardiac surgery, between January 2013 and December 2015.Interventions:None.Measurements and Main Results:All the data were retrospectively collected from the medical records of patients. We assessed the first surgery during a single PICU stay and identified four common healthcare-associated infections, including bloodstream infection, surgical site infection, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection, according to the definitions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Healthcare Safety Network. We assessed the pre-, intra-, and early postoperative potential risk factors for these healthcare-associated infections via multivariable analysis. In total, 526 cardiac surgeries (394 patients) were included. We identified 81 cases of healthcare-associated infections, including, bloodstream infections (n = 30), surgical site infections (n = 30), urinary tract infections (n = 13), and pneumonia (n = 8). In the case of 71 of the surgeries (13.5%), at least one healthcare-associated infection was reported. Multivariable analysis indicated the following risk factors for postoperative healthcare-associated infections: mechanical ventilation greater than or equal to 3 days (odds ratio, 4.81; 95% CI, 1.89–12.8), dopamine use (odds ratio, 3.87; 95% CI, 1.53–10.3), genetic abnormality (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.17–5.45), and delayed sternal closure (odds ratio, 3.78; 95% CI, 1.16–12.8).Conclusions:Mechanical ventilation greater than or equal to 3 days, dopamine use, genetic abnormality, and delayed sternal closure were associated with healthcare-associated infections after pediatric cardiac surgery. Since the use of dopamine is an easily modifiable risk factor, and may serve as a potential target to reduce healthcare-associated infections, further studies are needed to establish whether dopamine negatively impacts the development of healthcare-associated infections.

Incidence, Microbiological Profile and Risk Factors of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Intensive Care Units: A 10 Year Observation in a Provincial Hospital in Southern Poland.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occurring in patients treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) are serious complications in the treatment process. Aetiological factors of these infections can have an impact on treatment effects, treatment duration and mortality. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and microbiological profile of HAIs in patients hospitalized in an ICU over a span of 10 years. The active surveillance method was used to detect HAIs in adult patients who spent over 48 h in a general ICU ward located in southern Poland between 2007 and 2016. The study was conducted in compliance with the methodology recommended by the Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net) of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). During the 10 years of the study, 1849 patients hospitalized in an ICU for a total of 17,599 days acquired 510 with overall HAIs rates of 27.6% and 29.0% infections per 1000 ICU days. Intubation-associated pneumonia (IAP) posed the greatest risk (15.2 per 1000 ventilator days), followed by CLA-BSI (8.0 per 1000 catheter days) and CA-UTI (3.0 per 1000 catheter days). The most common isolated microorganism was Acinetobacter baumannii (25%) followed by Coagulaase-negativ staphylococci (15%), Escherichia coli (9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%), Candida albicans (6%). Acinetobacter baumannii in 87% and were classified as extensive-drug resistant (XDR). In summary, in ICU patients pneumonia and bloodstream infections were the most frequently found. Acinetobacter baumannii strains were most often isolated from clinical materials taken from HAI patients and showed resistance to many groups of antibiotics. A trend of increasing resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii to carbapenems was observed.

Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections in Adult Burn Patients.

OBJECTIVE Burn patients are particularly vulnerable to infection, and an estimated half of all burn deaths are due to infections. This study explored risk factors for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in adult burn patients. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary-care burn center. PATIENTS Adults (≥18 years old) admitted with burn injury for at least 2 days between 2004 and 2013. METHODS HAIs were determined in real-time by infection preventionists using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the direct effect of each risk factor on time to HAI, with inverse probability of censor weights to address potentially informative censoring. Effect measure modification by burn size was also assessed. RESULTS Overall, 4,426 patients met inclusion criteria, and 349 (7.9%) patients had at least 1 HAI within 60 days of admission. Compared to 6 times as likely to acquire an HAI (HR, 6.38; 95% CI, 3.64-11.17); and patients with >20% TBSA were >10 times as likely to acquire an HAI (HR, 10.33; 95% CI, 5.74-18.60). Patients with inhalational injury were 1.5 times as likely to acquire an HAI (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.17-2.22). The effect of inhalational injury (P=.09) appeared to be larger among patients with ≤20% TBSA. CONCLUSIONS Larger burns and inhalational injury were associated with increased incidence of HAIs. Future research should use these risk factors to identify potential interventions. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1441-1448.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of healthcare-associated infections in a tertiary care pediatric hospital

Background and aimHealthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are an important cause of prolonged hospital stay. This study was conducted to assess the incidence, causative organisms and risk factors of HAIs in pediatric patients. Subjects and methodsOur study was a prospective evaluation of Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in patients admitted to Mansoura University Children’s Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt over a period of one year. ResultsFive-hundred twenty-nine patients were included in the study. The overall rate of HAI was 5.2/100 admissions. Infection rates were highest in Pediatric ICU (25.9/100 admissions). The most frequent sites of HAI in our study were BSI (154 cultures; 33.3%), UTI (152 cultures; 32.9%), and VAP (90 cultures;19.5%). Gram negative bacteria were the most common bacteria isolated from positive cultures (47.6% of total 462 positive cultures) and were found to be multidrug resistant bacteria. A high prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found. Candida species were the commonest pathogens causing urinary tract infection (UTI). Mechanical ventilation, invasive device utilization, neonatal age, neutropenia, ICU residence and hospital stay for>7days were the risk factors significantly associated with HAI in our hospital. We found also, multiple antibiotic therapy usage, beta lactam usage, and ICU residence to be significant risk factors for infection by multidrug resistant pathogens. ConclusionHAI is a significant problem. We recommend further nationwide multicenter studies to identify the commonest infectious pathogens, antibiotic resistance pattern, and to identify risk factors and pattern of antibiotic usage to overcome multidrug resistance.

Risk factors for healthcare-associated infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The incidence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) related healthcare-associated infection (HAI) has increased in recent year worldwide. This study is to investigate the risk factors associated with CRPA infections in a university hospital setting in Taiwan to provide more information for clinician and infection control system. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1st, 2009 to June 30th, 2014. Patients with P. aeruginosa related HAI were included and divided into the CRPA case group and carbapenem-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CSPA) control group. The medical records were reviewed to identify risk factors for CRPA HAI and mortality. Patients with prior use of any anti-pseudomonal carbapenems were included in subgroup analysis. 395 cases of P. aeruginosa infection were enrolled from total of 3263 HAI events; 63 were CRPA and 332 were CSPA. The prevalence of CRPA was 15.9% (63/395). Significant risk factors related to CRPA infection were longer time at risk, prior use of anti-pseudomonal carbapenems, and prior use of aminoglycoside (p<0.05, 0.01, and 0.05). Furthermore, anti-pseudomonal carbapenem monotherapy did not significantly increase risk for CRPA infection. The worldwide CRPA prevalence has been on the raise and Taiwan has been also keeping up with the trend. Antimicrobials usage should be monitored carefully, especially with carbapenems and aminoglycoside. Clinicians should be award of and understand about the risk of CRPA infection, which increases by 1% with each hospitalization day.

Prospective study analyzing risk factors and characteristics of healthcare-associated infections in a Urology ward.

PurposeHealthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in urological patients have special features due to specific risk factors. Our objective was to evaluate the characteristics and risk factors for HAIs in patients hospitalized in a Urology ward.Materials and MethodsWe evaluated prospectively, from 2012 to 2015, the incidence, types and risk factor for HAIs, microbiological and resistance patterns.ResultsThe incidence of HAIs was 6.3%. The most common types were urinary infections (70.5%) and surgical site infections (22.1%). Univariate analysis showed an increased risk of HAIs among patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system III–IV (odds ratio [OR], 1.39; p<0.001), immunosuppression (OR, 1.80; p=0.013), previous urinary infection (OR, 4.46; p<0,001), and urinary catheter before admission (OR, 1.74; p<0.001). The surgical procedures with the highest incidence of HAIs were radical cystectomy (54.2%) and renal surgery (8.7%). The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Escherichia coli (25.1%), Enterococcus spp. (17.5%), Klebsiella spp. (13.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.3%). Enterococcus sp was the most common microorganism after radical cystectomy and in surgical site infections, E. coli showed resistance rates of 53.5% for fluoroquinolones, 9.3% for amikacin. The percentage of extended-spectrum betalactamase producing E. coli was 24.7%. Klebsiella spp. showed resistance rates of 47.8% for fluoroquinolones, 7.1% for amikacin and 4.3% for carbapenems. Enterococcus spp showed resistance rates of 1.7% for vancomycin and; P. aeruginosa of 33.3% for carbapenems and 26.2% for amikacin.ConclusionsComorbidities, previous urinary infections, and urinary catheter are risk factors for HAIs. The microorganisms most commonly isolated were E. coli, Enterococcus and P. aeruginosa. Prospective monitoring may decrease the incidence of infections.

Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections in Adult Burn Patients

Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections in Adult Burn Patients

Which Comorbid Conditions Should We Be Analyzing as Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections?

OBJECTIVE To determine which comorbid conditions are considered causally related to central-line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and surgical-site infection (SSI) based on expert consensus. DESIGN Using the Delphi method, we administered an iterative, 2-round survey to 9 infectious disease and infection control experts from the United States. METHODS Based on our selection of components from the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices, 35 different comorbid conditions were rated from 1 (not at all related) to 5 (strongly related) by each expert separately for CLABSI and SSI, based on perceived relatedness to the outcome. To assign expert consensus on causal relatedness for each comorbid condition, all 3 of the following criteria had to be met at the end of the second round: (1) a majority (>50%) of experts rating the condition at 3 (somewhat related) or higher, (2) interquartile range (IQR)≤1, and (3) standard deviation (SD)≤1. RESULTS From round 1 to round 2, the IQR and SD, respectively, decreased for ratings of 21 of 35 (60%) and 33 of 35 (94%) comorbid conditions for CLABSI, and for 17 of 35 (49%) and 32 of 35 (91%) comorbid conditions for SSI, suggesting improvement in consensus among this group of experts. At the end of round 2, 13 of 35 (37%) and 17 of 35 (49%) comorbid conditions were perceived as causally related to CLABSI and SSI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results have produced a list of comorbid conditions that should be analyzed as risk factors for and further explored for risk adjustment of CLABSI and SSI. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:449-454.

Temporal trends of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial use in 2011-2013, observed with annual point prevalence surveys in Ferrara University Hospital, Italy.

Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and misuse of antimicrobials (AMs) represent a growing public health problem. The Point Prevalence Surveys (PPSs) find available information to be used for specific targeted interventions and evaluate their effects. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HAIs and AM use, to describe types of infections, causative pathogens and to compare data collected through three PPSs in Ferrara University Hospital (FUH), repeated in 3 different years (2011-2013). The population-based sample consists of all patients admitted to every acute care and rehabilitation Department in a single day. ECDC Protocol and Form for PPS of HAI and AM use, Version 4.2, July 2011. Risk factor analysis was performed using logistic regression. 1,239 patients were observed. Overall, HAI prevalence was 9.6%; prevalence was higher in Intensive Care Units; urinary tract infections were the most common HAIs in all 3 surveys; E.coli was the most common pathogen; AM use prevalence was 51.1%; AMs most frequently administered were fluoroquinolones, combinations of penicillins and third-generation cephalosporins. According to the regression model, urinary catheter (OR: 2.5) and invasive respiratory device (OR: 2.3) are significantly associated risk factors for HAIs (p < 0.05). PPSs are a sensitive and effective method of analysis. Yearly repetition is a useful way to maintain focus on the topic of HAIs and AM use, highlighting how changes in practices impact on the outcome of care and providing useful information to implement intervention programs targeted on specific issues.

Which Comorbid Conditions Should We Be Analyzing as Risk Factors for Healthcare-Associated Infections?

OBJECTIVE To determine which comorbid conditions are considered causally related to central-line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and surgical-site infection (SSI) based on expert consensus. DESIGN Using the Delphi method, we administered an iterative, 2-round survey to 9 infectious disease and infection control experts from the United States. METHODS Based on our selection of components from the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices, 35 different comorbid conditions were rated from 1 (not at all related) to 5 (strongly related) by each expert separately for CLABSI and SSI, based on perceived relatedness to the outcome. To assign expert consensus on causal relatedness for each comorbid condition, all 3 of the following criteria had to be met at the end of the second round: (1) a majority (>50%) of experts rating the condition at 3 (somewhat related) or higher, (2) interquartile range (IQR)≤1, and (3) standard deviation (SD)≤1. RESULTS From round 1 to round 2, the IQR and SD, respectively, decreased for ratings of 21 of 35 (60%) and 33 of 35 (94%) comorbid conditions for CLABSI, and for 17 of 35 (49%) and 32 of 35 (91%) comorbid conditions for SSI, suggesting improvement in consensus among this group of experts. At the end of round 2, 13 of 35 (37%) and 17 of 35 (49%) comorbid conditions were perceived as causally related to CLABSI and SSI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results have produced a list of comorbid conditions that should be analyzed as risk factors for and further explored for risk adjustment of CLABSI and SSI. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:449-454.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Health-Care Associated Infections after Hip Operation.

Hip operation reduces pain and improves mobility and quality of life for more than 300,000 people annually, most of whom are more than 65 years old. Substantial increases in surgical volume are projected between 2005 and 2030 in primary total (174%) and revision (137%) procedures. This projection demands that the impact of increasing age on the relative risk of health-care associated infections (HAI) after hip surgical procedures be assessed. Our aim was to examine the incidence and risk factors of HAI among patients who underwent hip operations between 2006 and 2012. This secondary analysis included data from patients 18 years old or older and having a hip prosthesis procedure in three New York City hospitals between 2006 and 2012. Procedures were categorized as total or partial hip replacements or revision and re-surfacing procedures. Outcomes of interest were blood stream infections (BSI), urinary tract infections (UTI), or surgical site infections (SSI). Patients in whom an infection developed during the hospital visit in which the hip procedure occurred were counted as cases. Of 2021 patients, approximately 11% (n = 218) had an HAI. There was no difference in infection rates by admission year despite an increase in surgical volume. SSI was associated with younger age, previous hospitalization, and hip revision surgical procedure whereas UTI and BSI were associated with older age, greater co-morbidity, longer pre-operative length of stay and intensive care unit stay, (p < 0.05). HAI after hip operation affected approximately one in 10 patients over a 7-year period in three high-volume hospitals. SSI occurred least frequently, predominantly among patients who underwent revision surgery (without previous SSI), were younger, and had a history of previous hospitalization. Infections such as BSI and UTI, although rare, occurred more frequently and in patients with more co-morbidities, longer pre-operative length of stay, and who required higher level care. Further research to understand these unexpected findings and target interventions is warranted.

Burden, spectrum, and impact of healthcare-associated infection at a South African children's hospital

SummaryBackgroundIn most African countries the prevalence and effects of paediatric healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are unknown.AimTo investigate the burden, spectrum, risk factors, and impact of paediatric HCAI by prospective clinical surveillance at a South African referral hospital.MethodsContinuous prospective clinical and laboratory HCAI surveillance using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions was conducted at Tygerberg Children's Hospital, South Africa, from May 1st to October 31st in 2014 and 2015. Risk factors for HCAI and associated mortality were analysed with multivariate logistic regression; excess length of stay was estimated using a confounder and time-matching approach.FindingsHCAI incidence density was 31.1 per 1000 patient-days (95% CI: 28.2–34.2); hospital-acquired pneumonia (185/417; 44%), urinary tract infection (UTI) (45/417; 11%), bloodstream infection (BSI) (41/417; 10%), and surgical site infection (21/417; 5%) predominated. Device-associated HCAI incidence in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was high: 15.9, 12.9 and 16 per 1000 device-days for ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated BSI and catheter-associated UTI, respectively. HCAI was significantly associated with PICU stay (odds ratio: 2.0), malnutrition (1.6), HIV infection (1.7), HIV exposure (1.6), McCabe score ‘fatal’ (2.0), comorbidities (1.6), indwelling devices (1.9), blood transfusion (2.5), and transfer in (1.4). Two-thirds of paediatric deaths were HCAI-associated, occurring at a median of four days from HCAI onset with significantly higher crude mortality for HCAI-affected vs HCAI-unaffected hospitalizations [24/325 (7.4%) vs 12/1022 (1.2%); P < 0.001]. HCAI resulted in US$371,887 direct costs with an additional 2275 hospitalization days, 2365 antimicrobial days, and 3575 laboratory investigations.ConclusionHCAI was frequent with significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Establishment of HCAI surveillance and prevention programmes for African children is a public health priority.

Temporal trends and risk factors for healthcare-associated vancomycin-resistant enterococci in adults

Published data regarding temporal trends in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) prevalence within specific regions or healthcare systems are scarce. To characterize temporal trends and risk factors for healthcare-associated infections caused by VRE. The study included all adult discharges occurring from 2006 to 2014 with an enterococcal infection from three hospitals in a large academic healthcare system. Bivariate analyses were used to identify statistically significant factors associated with vancomycin-susceptible or -resistant infection. Statistically significant variables were included in a final logistic regression model. Trends assessed whether the proportion of enterococcal infections resistant to vancomycin changed over time. The sample included 10,186 adults with first-time healthcare-associated enterococcal infection. Significant risk factors (P≤0.05) for VRE in the final logistic regression model included: tertiary 1 hospital, intensive care unit length of stay, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, previous immunosuppressive or chemotherapeutic medications, previous hospitalization, renal failure, malignancy, longer length of stay prior to infection, taking an antibiotic prior to infection, being female, and having an infection in winter or spring. Between 2006 and 2014, the rate of resistance varied from 37.1 to 42.9% but there were no significant differences in the proportion resistant to vancomycin over time (P=0.36). Research targeted at risk factors is important to decrease the amount of VRE infections.

The prevalence of and risk factors for healthcare-associated infections in Slovenia: results of the second national survey.

IntroductionIn the second Slovenian national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) prevalence survey, conducted within the European point prevalence survey of HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute-care hospitals, we estimated the prevalence of all types of HAIs and identified risk factors.MethodsPatients from acute-care hospitals were enrolled into a one-day cross-sectional study in October 2011. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the characteristics of patients, their exposure to invasive procedures and the prevalence of different types of HAIs. Univariate and multivariate analyses of association of having at least one HAI with possible risk factors were performed to identify risk factors.ResultsAmong 5628 patients, 3.8% had at least one HAI and additional 2.6% were still being treated for HAIs on the day of the survey; the prevalence of HAIs was 6.4%. The prevalence of urinary tract infections was the highest (1.4%), followed by pneumoniae (1.3%) and surgical site infections (1.2%). In intensive care units (ICUs), the prevalence of patients with at least one HAI was 35.7%. Risk factors for HAIs included central vascular catheter (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.0; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.9-5.7), peripheral vascular catheter (aOR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5-2.6), intubation (aOR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4-3.5) and rapidly fatal underlying condition (aOR 2.1; 95% CI: 1.4-3.3).ConclusionsThe prevalence of HAIs in Slovenian acute-care hospitals in 2011 was substantial, especially in ICUs. HAIs prevention and control is an important public health priority. National surveillance of HAIs in ICUs should be developed to support evidence-based prevention and control.

Extra length of stay and costs because of health care–associated infections at a German university hospital

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) can be associated with increased health care costs. We examined extra length of hospital stay (LOS) and associated per diem costs attributable to HAIs in a large academic medical center. Data for analysis were acquired in a preinterventional phase of a prospective cohort study (ALERTS) conducted over 12months in 27 general and 4 intensive care units at Jena University Hospital. HAIs were identified among patients hospitalized for ≥48hours with at least 1 risk factor for HAI and new antimicrobial therapy; the diagnosis was confirmed by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Extra LOS was estimated by multistate modeling, and associated extra costs were based on average per diem costs for clinical units sampled. Of a total of 22,613 patients hospitalized for ≥48hours, 893 (3.95%) experienced 1,212 episodes of HAI during 12months. The associated mean extra LOS ± SEM in general units was 8.45±0.80days per case and 8.09±0.91days for patients treated in both general and intensive care units. Additional costs attributable to HAIs were €5,823-€11,840 ($7,453-$15,155) per infected patient. HAIs generated substantial extra costs by prolonging hospitalization. Potential clinical and financial savings may be realized by implementing effective infection prevention programs.