Friday, December 19, 2025

What Are Hospital Acquired Infections?


Hospital-acquired infections, also referred to as “healthcare-associated infections” or “nosocomial an infection,” check with infections that weren’t current earlier than searching for medical care and had been acquired in a healthcare setting. Hospital-acquired infections could be contracted in hospitals even within the intensive care unit, ambulatory clinics, surgical facilities, nursing properties, long-term care services, dialysis facilities, and diagnostic laboratories. 

Hospital setting: male nurse pushing stretcher gurney bed in hospital corridor with doctors & senior female patient

Hospital-acquired infections are outlined by signs presenting 48-or-more hours after hospital admission, inside three days of discharge, or 30 days postoperatively (1). The overwhelming majority of hospital-acquired infections are attributable to micro organism, and the propagation of those infections is worsened by the rising presence of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains.

 

Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections

Within the United States, roughly 1 in 25 hospitalized sufferers will contract an an infection (2). Knowledge collected by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention recognized an estimated 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections in the USA throughout 2002, leading to 99,000 related deaths (3).

Estimates from the UK place the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections at roughly 1-in-10 sufferers (1). In growing nations, the prevalence is greater and should often exceed 25% (4).

CDC knowledge present that urinary tract infections make up roughly 36% of all hospital-acquired infections within the ICU, surgical web site infections 20%, pneumonia 11%, bloodstream infections 11%, and different infections 22% (3).

 

Danger Elements

Immunocompromised people, reminiscent of these present process chemotherapy, are at an elevated threat for hospital-acquired an infection. Geriatric sufferers are additionally at elevated threat, as are these with a number of medical comorbidities. The incidence of hospital-acquired infections will increase because the size of hospital keep will increase. Sufferers within the ICU, receiving mechanical ventilator help, present process surgical procedure, and having indwelling units are additionally at elevated threat.

One massive examine that examined 231,459 sufferers throughout 947 hospitals in Europe discovered that 19.5% of sufferers within the ICU skilled at the very least one hospital-acquired an infection (5).

 

Catheter-Related Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are the most typical types of hospital-acquired an infection. Roughly 75% of all UTIs contracted within the hospital are related to catheter use, and crucial threat issue for growing a catheter-associated urinary tract an infection is extended catheter use (6). Frequent pathogens recognized in catheter-associated urinary tract infections embody Escherichia coli, Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Morganella morganii, and Candida albicans. Some organisms, together with Pseudomonas and Proteus, can kind biofilms round catheters.

 

Surgical Web site Infections (SSI)

Surgical web site infections happen postoperatively within the pores and skin, inner organs, or implanted supplies concerned within the surgical procedure. Diabetic sufferers are at an elevated threat of growing surgical web site infections. The incidence of surgical web site infections will increase as process period will increase and using antimicrobial prophylaxis decreases the danger of such infections. Frequent causes of surgical web site infections embody Staphylococcus aureus (together with MRSA), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. In developed nations, between 2-5% of all sufferers who bear surgical procedure develop a surgical web site an infection; and in growing nations, between 12%-39% do (4).

 

Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and Ventilator-Related Pneumonia (VAP)

The Infectious Ailments Society of America (IDSA) defines hospital-acquired pneumonia as “pneumonia that happens 48 hours or extra after admission to the hospital and didn’t look like incubating on the time of admission”; and defines ventilator-associated pneumonia as “pneumonia that develops greater than 48 to 72 hours after endotracheal intubation.” Frequent bacterial causes of each hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia embody Staphylococcus aureus (together with MRSA), Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Frequent viral causes embody rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and coronavirus

The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in sufferers who require mechanical air flow for greater than 48 hours is estimated at 25-to-30% (7).

 

The male patient with intravenous catheter. Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) is one of the types of hospital-acquired infectionsThe male patient with intravenous catheter. Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) is one of the types of hospital-acquired infections

Central Line-Related Bloodstream An infection (CLABSI)

Central line-associated bloodstream infections happen on the web site of central venous catheters. The mortality charge for central line-associated bloodstream infections is between 12% and 25% (8). Frequent causes of central line-associated bloodstream infections embody coagulase-negative Staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus (together with MRSA), Enterobacte, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. Central traces could be positioned within the neck, chest, arm, or groin. The usage of femoral-site traces is related to an elevated threat of an infection and is now not advisable (9). Antibiotic lock remedy can scale back the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections.

 

Clostridium Difficile Infections (CDI)

An estimated 12.1% of all hospital-acquired infections are attributable to Clostridium difficile, making Clostridium difficile the most typical reason behind hospital-acquired infections (10). Roughly 75% of all Clostridium difficile infections are hospital-acquired (11), and an estimated 2.3% of all US hospital prices are associated to those infections (12).

 

Hospital-Acquired COVID-19

The incidence of hospital-acquired COVID-19 stays unknown. A meta-analysis of research analyzing COVID-19 circumstances in China discovered that 44% of circumstances had been more likely to have originated from a healthcare setting (13). A hospital in South Africa reported {that a} single case led to 6 main outbreak clusters in a number of hospital wards, a nursing dwelling, and a dialysis unit. In the end this episode resulted in 135 infections and 15 deaths (14). As much as 1-in-4 circumstances of COVID-19 within the UK are more likely to have been hospital-acquired (15).

In distinction, a current examine from the USA means that hospital-acquired COVID-19 is definitely fairly unusual when rigorous infection-control measures are adopted. This examine checked out all sufferers admitted to Brigham and Girls’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, between March 7 and Might 30, 2020. They decided that of 697 COVID-19 diagnoses, solely two had been hospital-acquired, together with one case that doubtless resulted from a go to by a pre-symptomatic partner (16).

The World Well being Group estimates that healthcare staff might comprise as many as one-in-seven COVID-19 circumstances (17), reflecting a excessive incidence of hospital-acquired illness. The CDC is just not at present amassing knowledge on hospital-acquired COVID-19, as hospitals are required to report back to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers. 

 

The GIDEON Distinction

GIDEON is likely one of the most well-known and complete world databases for infectious illnesses. Knowledge is refreshed day by day, and the GIDEON API permits medical professionals and researchers entry to a steady stream of information. Whether or not your analysis entails quantifying knowledge, studying about particular microbes, or testing out differential analysis instruments– GIDEON has you lined with a program that has met requirements for accessibility excellence.

 

References 

(1) Inweregbu, Ok., Dave, J. and Pittard, A., 2005. Nosocomial infections. Persevering with Training in Anaesthesia Essential Care & Ache, 5(1), pp.14-17.

(2) Magill SS, Edwards JR, Bamberg W, et al., 2014. Rising Infections Program Healthcare-Related Infections and Antimicrobial Use Prevalence Survey Workforce. Multistate point-prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections. N Engl J Med, 27;370(13), pp. 1198-208.

(3) Klevens, R., Edwards, J., Richards, C., et al., 2007. Estimating Well being Care-Related Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002. Public Well being Stories, 122(2), pp.160-166.

(4) Allegranzi, B. and Pittet, D., 2007. Healthcare-Related An infection in Growing Nations: Easy Options to Meet Advanced Challenges. An infection Management & Hospital Epidemiology, 28(12), pp.1323-1327. 

(5) European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management, 2013. Level-prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals. Stockholm: EDC.

(6) Cdc.gov. 2021. Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) | HAI | CDC. [online] 

(7) Cornejo-Juárez, P., González-Oros, I., Mota-Castañeda, P., Vilar-Compte, D. and Volkow-Fernández, P., 2020. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in sufferers with most cancers: Affect of multidrug resistant micro organism. World Journal of Essential Care Medication, 9(3), pp.43-53.

(8) Dumont, C. and Nesselrodt, D., 2012. Stopping central line-associated bloodstream infections CLABSI. Nursing, 42(6), pp.41-46. 

(9) Palmer, E., 2021. Avoiding the femoral vein in central venous cannulation: an outdated observe. [online] Acphospitalist.org. 

(10) Monegro, A., Muppidi, V. and Regunath, H., 2020. Hospital Acquired Infections. StatPearls, [online]

(11) Louh, I., Greendyke, W., Hermann, E., e al., 2017. Clostridium Difficile An infection in Acute Care Hospitals: Systematic Overview and Finest Practices for Prevention. An infection Management & Hospital Epidemiology, 38(4), pp.476-482.

(12) Bounce, R., 2013. Clostridium difficile an infection in older adults. Getting old well being, 9(4), pp.403-414.

(13) Zhou, Q., Gao, Y., Wang, X., et al., 2020. Nosocomial infections amongst sufferers with COVID-19, SARS, and MERS: a fast evaluation and meta-analysis. Annals of Translational Medication, 8(10), pp.629-629.

(14) Lessells, R., Moosa, Y., and de Oliviera, T., 2020. Report right into a nosocomial outbreak of coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID‐19) at Netcare St. Augustine’s Hospital. [online]

(15) Discombe, M., 2021. Covid infections caught in hospital rise by a 3rd in a single week. [online] Well being Service Journal. 

(16) Rhee, C., Baker, M., Vaidya, V., et al., 2020. Incidence of Nosocomial COVID-19 in Sufferers Hospitalized at a Massive US Educational Medical Heart. JAMA Community Open, 3(9), p.e2020498.

(17) Nebehay, S., 2021. One in 7 reported COVID-19 infections is amongst well being staff, WHO says. [online] U.S.

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