Clinical and microbiological profile of health care-associated infections in a tertiary hospital: Comparison between a cohort of hospitalized patients during prepandemic and COVID-19 pandemic periods.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health service practices underwent significant changes, impacting the occurrence of health care-associated infections (HAIs). This study presents the epidemiology of bacterial infections and compares clinical data on nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients before and during the pandemic. METHODS: A unicentric, observational, retrospective cohort study was conducted with descriptive analyses on the microorganism identification and resistance profile. Patient's clinical data who had hospital-acquired infection (HAI), during their hospitalization in a tertiary hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared by descriptive and inferential analyses. RESULTS: A total of 1,581 bacteria were isolated from 1,183 hospitalized patients. Among patients coinfected with COVID-19, there was a statistically significant increase in HAI-related deaths (P < .001) and HAI caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (P < .001), mainly by Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus. A higher odds ratio of HAI-related deaths compared to the prepandemic period was observed (odds ratio 6.98 [95% confidence interval 3.97-12.64]). CONCLUSIONS: The higher incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and increased deaths due to HAI, especially in patients with COVID-19 coinfection, might be related to various factors such as increased workload, broad-spectrum antibiotic use, and limited resources. The pandemic has changed the profile of circulating bacteria and antimicrobial resistance. Prevention strategies should be considered to reduce the impact of these infections.

Perfil das infecções relacionadas à assistência à saúde na unidade de terapia intensiva de um hospital de referência na mesorregião oeste do Rio Grande do Norte / Profile of health care-related infections in the intensive care unit of a reference hospital in the west mesoregion of Rio Grande do Norte / Perfil de las infecciones relacionadas con la atención a la salud en la unidad de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de referencia en la mesoregión oeste del Rio Grande del Norte

As Infecções Relacionadas à Assistência à Saúde (IRAS) ocorrem com mais frequência em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) devido a exposição maior dos pacientes a procedimentos e dispositivos invasivos, quadro clínico debilitado e sua manipulação pela equipe assistencial exigindo uso elevado de antimicrobianos, o que pode promover um risco de desenvolvimento de resistência bacteriana a estes, cujas consequências podem ser a dificuldade de tratamento, internamento prolongado, risco de óbito e maior custo associado. Tem como objetivo descrever as IRAs relacionando os agentes etiológicos e o tratamento antimicrobiano em uma UTI de um hospital de referência da mesorregião do Rio Grande do Norte. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, retrospectivo e transversal de abordagem quantitativa. Foram inseridos 1.682 pacientes internados na UTI geral do hospital estudado entre 2017-2020. Os dados foram coletados a partir de fichas de registro que foram tabuladas e analisadas nos softwares Microsoft Office Excel® e Statistical Package for the Social Sciences utilizando estatística descritiva simples com apresentação de frequências, tendências e dispersão. A análise dos resultados revelou mediana de idade de 57 anos, prevalência do sexo masculino e existência de comorbidades em 57,9% dos casos, especialmente infecção prévia a admissão na UTI. O tempo médio de permanência na UTI foi 11,4 dias e taxa de mortalidade de 52%. Quanto aos dispositivos invasivos, observou-se uso de sonda vesical de demora (96,8%), ventilação mecânica (79,4%) e cateter venoso central (83,7%). Constatou-se 790 IRAS da UTI com crescimento bacteriano em 48,2%. As principais densidades de incidência (DI) de IRAS/1.000 pacientes-dia foram: IPCSL-CVC 1,8; PAV 27 e ITU-AC 22,3. Quanto aos antibióticos, observou-se Lenght of therapy de 872,5/1.000 pacientes-dia, sendo os mais prescritos: vancomicina (N=633), meropenem (N=625), ceftriaxona (N=479), amicacina (N=463) e polimixina B (N=448). Os valores destaques de Days of therapy/1.000 pacientes-dia: meropenem (N=305,7), amicacina (N=260,4), polimixina B (N=256,4), vancomicina (N=229,3) e imipenem (N=165,3). As bactérias mais isoladas nas culturas foram: Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp. e Klebsiella spp., as quais apresentaram resistência, principalmente, a: ceftazidima (51,5% - 87,3%); cefepima (61,6% - 85,3%); ciprofloxacino (56% - 84,6%) e meropenem (31,7% - 80,3%). Identificou-se não conformidades no tratamento com antibióticos em 455 pacientes, que envolvem principalmente polimixina B, vancomicina, meropenem e ceftriaxona. Conclui-se que há elevados níveis de tempo de permanência na UTI e uso de dispositivos invasivos, assim como DI de IRAS alta com identificação microbiológica de bactérias importantes, especialmente por seu perfil de resistência acentuado com destaque para antibióticos da classe dos carbapenêmicos e cefalosporinas de 3a e 4a geração. Destaca-se também a presença de não conformidades na administração de antibióticos que podem contribuir para a seleção de bactérias multirresistentes.

Health Care-Related Infections (HAI) occur more frequently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to the greater exposure of patients to invasive procedures and devices, weakened clinical status and their handling by the care team, requiring high use of antimicrobials, which can promote a risk of developing bacterial resistance to these, whose consequences may be difficult treatment, prolonged hospitalization, risk of death and higher associated costs. It aims to describe the IRAS relating the etiological agents and antimicrobial treatment in an ICU of a reference hospital in the mesoregion of Rio Grande do Norte. This is a descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. A total of 1,682 patients admitted to the general ICU of the hospital studied between 2017-2020 were included. Data were collected from registration forms that were tabulated and analyzed in Microsoft Office Excel® and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software using simple descriptive statistics with presentation of frequencies, trends and dispersion. The analysis of the results revealed a median age of 57 years, prevalence of males and the existence of comorbidities in 57.9% of cases, especially infection prior to admission to the ICU. The average length of stay in the ICU was 11.4 days and the mortality rate was 52%. As for invasive devices, the use of an indwelling urinary catheter (96.8%), mechanical ventilation (79.4%) and central venous catheter (83.7%) was observed. There were 790 IRAS in the ICU with bacterial growth in 21.67%. The main HAI incidence densities (DI)/1,000 patient-days were: IPCSL-CVC 1.8; PAV 27 and UTI-AC 22.3. As for antibiotics, a Length of therapy of 872.5/1,000 patient-days was observed, with the most prescribed being: vancomycin (N=633), meropenem (N=625), ceftriaxone (N=479), amikacin (N= 463) and polymyxin B (N=448). The highlighted values of Days of therapy/1000 patient-days: meropenem (N=305.7), amikacin (N=260.4), polymyxin B (N=256.4), vancomycin (N=229.3) and imipenem (N=165.3). The most isolated bacteria in cultures were: Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Klebsiella spp., which showed resistance mainly to: Ceftazidime (51.5% - 87.3%); cefepime (61.6% - 85.3%); ciprofloxacin (56% - 84.6%) and meropenem (31.7% - 80.3%). Non-compliance was identified in the treatment with antibiotics in 455 patients, which mainly involve polymyxin B, vancomycin, meropenem and ceftriaxone. It is concluded that there are high levels of ICU length of stay and use of invasive devices, as well as high IRAS ID with microbiological identification of important bacteria, especially due to their accentuated resistance profile, with emphasis on antibiotics from the carbapenem class and cephalosporins from 3rd and 4th generation. Also noteworthy is the presence of non-compliance in the administration of antibiotics that may contribute to the selection of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Las Infecciones Relacionadas con la Atención de la Salud (IRAS) ocurren con mayor frecuencia en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) debido a la mayor exposición de los pacientes a procedimientos y dispositivos invasivos, el debilitamiento del estado clínico y su manejo por parte del equipo asistencial, requiriendo un alto uso de antimicrobianos , lo que puede promover un riesgo de desarrollar resistencia bacteriana a estos, cuyas consecuencias pueden ser un tratamiento difícil, hospitalización prolongada, riesgo de muerte y mayores costos asociados. Tiene como objetivo describir las IRAs que relacionan los agentes etiológicos y el tratamiento antimicrobiano en una UTI de un hospital de referencia en la mesorregión de Rio Grande do Norte. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y transversal con enfoque cuantitativo. Se incluyeron un total de 1.682 pacientes ingresados en la UCI general del hospital estudiado entre 2017-2020. Los datos fueron recolectados a partir de formularios de registro que fueron tabulados y analizados en el software Microsoft Office Excel® y Statistical Package for the Social Sciences utilizando estadística descriptiva simple con presentación de frecuencias, tendencias y dispersión. El análisis de los resultados reveló una mediana de edad de 57 años, predominio del sexo masculino y la existencia de comorbilidades en el 57,9% de los casos, especialmente infección previa al ingreso en UCI. La estancia media en la UCI fue de 11,4 días y la tasa de mortalidad fue del 52%. En cuanto a los dispositivos invasivos, se observó el uso de catéter urinario permanente (96,8%), ventilación mecánica (79,4%) y catéter venoso central (83,7%). Había 790 IRAS en la UCI con crecimiento bacteriano en el 48,2%. Las principales densidades de incidencia (DI) de IRAS/1.000 pacientes-día fueron: IPCSL-CVC 1,8; PAV 27 y UTI-AC 22.3. En cuanto a los antibióticos, se observó una Duración de la terapia de 872,5/1.000 días-paciente, siendo los más prescritos: vancomicina (N=633), meropenem (N=625), ceftriaxona (N=479), amikacina (N= 463) y polimixina B (N=448). Los valores destacados de Días de terapia/1.000 pacientes-día: meropenem (N=305,7), amikacina (N=260,4), polimixina B (N=256,4), vancomicina (N=229,3) e imipenem (N=165,3). Las bacterias más aisladas en cultivos fueron: Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp. y Klebsiella spp., que mostraron resistencia principalmente a: ceftazidima (51,5% - 87,3%); cefepima (61,6% - 85,3%); ciprofloxacino (56% - 84,6%) y meropenem (31,7% - 80,3%). Se identificó incumplimiento en el tratamiento con antibióticos en 455 pacientes, los cuales involucran principalmente polimixina B, vancomicina, meropenem y ceftriaxona. Se concluye que existen altos índices de estancia en UCI y uso de dispositivos invasivos, así como elevado IRAS ID con identificación microbiológica de bacterias importantes, especialmente por su acentuado perfil de resistencia, con énfasis en antibióticos de la clase carbapenémicos y cefalosporinas de 3ra y 4ta generación. También es destacable la presencia de incumplimiento en la administración de antibióticos que pueden contribuir a la selección de bacterias multirresistentes.

Health care-related infections in solid organ transplants

The health care-related infections are well-known in a critical care setting, but reports of those infections in solid organ transplanted patients are scarce. We developed a study of retrospective cohort in a tertiary teaching hospital for 14 months. Eighty-one patients underwent solid organ transplants. The global incidence of health care-related infection was 42.0 percent. Fifteen percent of the cases were occurrences of surgical site infections, 14.0 percent pneumonias, 9.0 percent primary blood stream infections, 4.0 percent urinary tract infections and 2.0 percent skin infection. The most prevalent etiologic agents were K. pneumoniae (8.6 percent), P. aeruginosa (7.4 percent); A. baumannii (5.0 percent) and S. aureus (2.5 percent). Mortality was 18.0 percent, none of then related to health care infections. The high rate of those infections, mainly surgical site infections, suggests a demand for stricter measures to prevent and control health care-related infections.