Prevalence of vascular catheter-related bloodstream infections in the ICUs of Nemazee hospital, Shiraz, Iran 2015-2016

Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infections are a serious problem for health systems which also imposes a great economic burden on the health system. Plus, they also increase the mortality rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of these infections in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the Nemazee hospital in southwestern Iran. Methods: This study was conducted in within April 2015-2016 in the ICUs of Nemazee hospital. Totally, 178 patients were enrolled and 253 catheters embedded for them. Results: Of the 253 implanted catheter, 47.4% of catheters had a positive culture (120 catheters) and 52.6% of catheters were culture negative (133 catheters). The most common microorganisms causing catheter-related bloodstream infections were Gram-negative bacteria (50%). Among Gram-negative bacteria Acinetobacter (51.7%) and Klebsiella (25%) and among Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis (66.7%) and Enterococcus (23%) are the most common causes of infection. Colistin (90% sensitivity) and amikacin (33.3% sensitivity) are the most sensitive antibiotics in Gram-negative and chloramphenicol (87.5% sensitivity) and vancomycin (75% sensitivity) are the most sensitive antibiotics in Grampositive bacteria. Conclusion: In this study, the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections in patients admitted to the ICU of Nemazee hospital is 47.4% which is more widespread than those in other treatment centers. Intravenous catheters are common and are associated with adverse outcomes. Prospective studies such as our study can incorporate uniform definitions for effective management of related infections.

Keywords:

Bloodstream infections , Catheter , ICU