Background: Patients admitted to intensive-care units (ICU) are at a high risk of nosocomial infections (NI) due to susceptibility associated with severity of their condition, but also the invasive medical procedures they undergo.
Aim: To determine the frequency of NI at the ICU of the General Hospital Uzice, and to identify the risk factors for their development.
Methods: A prospective surveillance study of NI, conducted between June 27. and December 31 2001, included 914 patients who spent at least 24 hours in the ICU (total of 2 615 days). The surveillance of NI in the ICU was carried out daily. Follow-up period covered the time from the ICU admission to 48 hours after the ICU discharge. To assess risk factors for NI, we performed a case-control study. The variables measuring of extrinsic and intrinsic risk factors for NI were collected.
Results: In a six-month prospective surveillance study, the incidence of NI was 16.7% or 58.5 per 1,000 patient-day, respectively. The most frequent were the infections of the surgery wounds (32.6%), urinary tract infections (23.5%), and infections of the blood (7.1%). The identified independent risk factors for NI were: surgical intervention (OR = 5.74; CI = 2.01-16.41), endotracheal tubes (OR = 3.40; CI = 1.07-10.89), cystoscopy (OR = 2.35; CI = 1.38-4.02), obesity (OR = 1.98; CI = 1.27-3.11), and the duration of the infusion (OR = 1.34; CI = 1.23-1.46).
Conclusions: The most important risk factors for NI at ICU were surgical interventions and endotracheal tubes.