Publication:

Microbiological profile of hospital acquired blood stream infections in seriously ill medical patients admitted in tertiary care hospital

Background Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are those which are acquired in hospital either due to any intervention or directly through various routes of entry into the body. Nosocomial infection not only adds to functional disability to patients but also increases associated cost of treatment. Major categories of HAIs include pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTIs), blood stream infections (BSIs), and surgical site infections (SSIs).

Methods The study was conducted to know the incidence of blood stream infections. The patients who developed infections after 48 hours of admission in the ward were included in the study. Blood cultures were performed. A total of 125 seriously ill patients admitted in medicine ward were studied prospectively.

Results Out of a total of 125 patients, 10 (8%) patients developed BSIs. Gram negative isolates Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most commonly isolated organisms from cases of BSIs. Most of the isolated organisms were susceptible to ticarcillin clavulanic acid.

Conclusions HAI incidence was high in this study. Prevention programs in future should focus on patients with longer length of stay, invasive devices, and injudicious use of antibiotics to contain the incidence of HAIs.