[Epidemiology of nosocomial infections in the university's hospitals of Sfax: Results of the first national point prevalence survey]

Nosocomial infections [NI] present a real problem of public health because of their frequency, their gravity and their socioeconomic cost. Our study, realized in the setting of the first national investigation of prevalence of the NI "NOSOTUN05- who took place in Tunisia, in 2005, had for objectives to determine the global frequency of the NI in the two hospitals centers [Habib Bourguiba and Hedi Chaker] of Sfax and to evoke the main factors of risk bound to these infections. The total of patients investigated was 731. The global prevalence rate was of 9.03%. The units of intensive care were the more touched by this curse [10.1%] and in particular the service of intensive care [42.1%]. The intrinsic factors of risk, linked to the patients, retained in our survey were denutrition [p = 0.01] and neutropenia [p = 0.04]. The extrinsic factors of risk, linked to the care were urinary catheter use [p < 0.001], central venous catheter use [p < 0.001], peripheral venous catheter use [p = 0.01], mechanical ventilation [p < 0.001] and parenteral food [p < 0.001]. Pulmonary infections were the most current NI [31.9%], after that, infections of urinary tract [24.6%], infections of surgical site [11.6%], septicaemia and of bloodstream infections [10.2%]. Microbiological exam has been achieved in the half of the cases. It yielded positive results in 25.7% of infected patients. Antibacterial treatment was given to 60 patients. Amoxicilline was the most prescribed antibiotic in first intention [28.3%]. The recourse to a monotherapy has been noted in 65% of the cases. Resistance to the antibiotics has been noted in 21.6% of prescriptions