Healthcare-associated infection management has advanced rapidly in recent years. With the development of more standards and guidelines, infection control measures become more standardized and evidence-based. Evidence-based measures are increasingly applied in infection control, which promote more studies on the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections. Furthermore, more new ideas of infection control have emerged, with old ones being challenged. The hand hygiene reform, multidrug-resistant organisms, and surgical site infections become the hot topics in recent years. In addition, whole-genome sequencing also provides more bases for understanding pathogen transmission in hospitals. Based on the high-quality studies published in recent years, this opinion review discusses these hot topics in the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections.
ObjectiveTo carry out targeted surveillance on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) newly defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States in 2013, and to understand its applicability and influence on the prognosis, and infection rate and risk factors of the disease. MethodsTargeted surveillance was carried out on all patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the general ICU of our hospital between January and December 2014. VAP infection rate was studied, and patients were divided into groups based on the development of the disease. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis of the prognostic indicators. ResultsA total of 885 patients received mechanical ventilation and were monitored, 31 of whom had VAP. The VAP case infection rate was 3.5% and its daily infection rate was 3.9‰. The results of multiple factors regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.025, P=0.025) and combining other types of hospital infection (OR=4.874, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for the development of VAP. VAP was the independent risk factor for both length of stay in the ICU and length of mechanical ventilation (P<0.001), but it was not the independent risk factor for mortality in the ICU (P=0.515). ConclusionThe applicability of the newly defined ventilator-associated pneumonia may be under restrictions in developing countries. It may influence the outcomes of patients by prolonging the length of stay in ICU and the length of mechanical ventilation.
Objective To investigate the predictors for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CR-AEP) as the pathogens of bloodstream infection (BSI) for intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods A retrospective case-control study based on ICU- healthcare-associated infection (HAI) research database was carried out. The patients who have been admitted to the central ICU between 2015 and 2019 in the ICU-HAI research database of West China Hospital of Sichuan University were selected. The included patients were divided into two groups, of which the patients with ICU-acquired BSI due to CR-AEP were the case group and the patients with BSI due to the pathogens other than CR-AEP were the control group. The clinical features of the two groups of patients were compared. Logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of BSI due to CR-AEP.ResultsA total of 197 patients with BSI were included, including 83 cases in the case group and 114 cases in the control group. A total of 214 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from the 197 BSI cases, including 86 CR-AEP strains. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that previous use of tigecycline [odds ratio (OR)=2.490, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.141, 5.436), P=0.022] was associated with higher possibility for CR-AEP as the pathogens of BSI in ICU patients with BSI, while previous use of antipseudomonal penicillin [OR=0.497, 95%CI (0.256, 0.964), P=0.039] was associated with lower possibility for that. Conclusion Previous use of tigecycline or antipseudomonal penicillin is the predictor for CR-AEP as the pathogens of BSI in ICU patients with BSI.
ObjectiveTo analyze and discuss the importance of non-catheter-related hospital infection in intensive care unit (ICU). MethodA prospective target monitoring of all the patients in the general ICU was carried out from January 2011 to December 2013. The hospital infection cases grouped by infection types were analyzed with SPSS 17.0. ResultsA total of 5 364 patients were monitored, 455 of whom had hospital infections totaled 616 times. The hospital infection rate was 11.5%. The amount and constituent ratio of the catheter-related infections showed a declining trend year by year, while the non-catheter-related infections revealed an escalating trend year by year. In these 455 patients, the mixed infection group had the longest hospital stay, followed by the catheter-related infection group and the non-catheter-related infection group (P<0.05). The catheter-related infection group had higher crude mortality rate than both of the mixed infection group and the non-catheter-related infection group (P<0.017). ConclusionsNon-catheter-related infections which get higher and higher proportion in ICU hospital infections should be paid more attention to, while catheter-related infections which could prolong hospitalization and increase the risk of death in ICU patients, remain the focus of the target monitoring of hospital infection in ICU.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of antimicrobial management program on inpatients outcomes and antimicrobial resistance among clinical isolates in a large-scaled university hospital.MethodsThe antibiotics use density (AUD) and antimicrobial resistance rate of multi-drug resistant bacteria before (from January 2009 to December 2010) and after (from January 2012 to December 2016) the intervention of antimicrobial management program in a large-scaled university hospital (4 300 beds) were calculated and compared, and the correlations of AUD with average length of hospital stay and mortality rate were analyzed.ResultsThe AUD was significantly decreased after intervention (P<0.001). The resistance rate of Staphylococcus aureus to oxacillin decreased (P<0.001). Among Gram-negative bacteria, the resistance rates to carbapenems in Acinetobacter baumannii (P<0.001) and Klebsiella pneumoniae increased (P=0.011). AUD was not correlated with the average length of hospital stay (P=0.644), while positively correlated with the in-hospital mortality rate (r=0.932, P=0.001).ConclusionsThe implementation of antimicrobial management program can significantly reduce the antimicrobial use and do not worsen patient outcomes in the hospital. The impact of the program on resistance varies significantly depending on both the bacterium and the agent, and carbapenem-non-susceptible Gram-negative bacilli emerges as a major threat. It is still necessary to combine other infection control measures.