Epidemiology of nosocomial infections in an intensive care unit at a tertiary care hospital in India: A retrospective study

  • Mohd Saif Khan Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Pankaj Kundra Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
  • Anusha Cherian Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
  • Noyal M Joseph Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
  • Sujatha Sistla Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research

Abstract

Critically ill patients are at increased risk of developing nosocomial infection. Hospitals in developing countries are facing higher incidence of this problem. The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of infections in hospital. A retrospective study was conducted at CCU of a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India. All patients who stayed in ICU for more than 48 hours were included in the study. Relevant data on demographics, ICU length of stay, co-morbidities, pre-admission infections and number of devices were recorded from case records. The culture and sensitivity reports were accessed from the microbiology lab registers. Chi square, unpaired t-test and Fisher’s exact test were used wherever applicable. Out of 315 patients included in the study, 93 patients (29.5%) developed 126 episodes of ICU acquired infections (Incidence density rate; 70.3/1000 ICU days), of which common nosocomial infections were pneumonias (15.5%), urinary tract infections (8.9%), blood stream infections (8.2%) and surgical site infections (7%). Patients who acquired infections in ICU had longer ICU stay and received mechanical ventilation for longer hours. The most common isolates were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24.9%), Acinetobacter baumannii (23.1%). In logistic regression analysis, following risk factors were significantly associated with higher infection rates: medical category, emergency surgery, diabetes, presence of tracheostomy and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). In conclusion TPN, medical category, emergency surgery, diabetes mellitus and presence of tracheostomy were significant risk factors which lead to higher infection rate. These data will help reinforce the infection control measures.

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Author Biographies

Mohd Saif Khan, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences
Assistant Professor Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
Pankaj Kundra, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
Professor and Head of Department, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
Anusha Cherian, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care
Noyal M Joseph, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology
Sujatha Sistla, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research
Professor and HOD, Department of Microbiology
Published
2015-06-18
How to Cite
Khan, M., Kundra, P., Cherian, A., Joseph, N., & Sistla, S. (2015). Epidemiology of nosocomial infections in an intensive care unit at a tertiary care hospital in India: A retrospective study. International Journal of Infection Control, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v11i2.13723
Section
Short Reports