Infections Common In ICUs Worldwide
Nearly half of patients in intensive care units globally contract infections, and 70 percent are being treated with antibiotics, a development that may aid the rise of drug-resistant viruses, researchers announced Tuesday.
Patients who contracted infections were more likely to not survive, specifically if they become septic, a survey of 13,000 patients noted. Still, a major concern that remains is over-prescription of antibiotics in patients without infections, which can lead to antibiotic resistance.
"Importantly, the incidence of sepsis is increasing, as is the number of consequent infection-related deaths," Dr. Jean-Louis Vincent of Erasme University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium and researchers wrote.
Vincent’s team evaluated 13,796 patients in 1,300 intensive care units in 75 countries around the world in one day.
The statistics revealed 51% of the patients were ill with infections and 71% were taking antibiotics. In 64%, the lungs were commonly infected, as were the abdomen and bloodstream.
The most reoccurring kind of bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus, but E. coli and Pseudomonas were also frequently identified.
"Infection and related sepsis are the leading cause of death in noncardiac ICUs, with mortality rates that reach 60 percent and account for approximately 40 percent of total ICU expenditures," the researchers wrote.
Dr. Steven Opal of Brown University in Rhode Island and Dr. Thierry Calandra of Vaudois Hospital Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, reviewed the research and see several disturbing trends.
A kind of bacteria called gram-negative now explains 63% of infections. "This is not a favorable trend, because resistance among gram-negative bacteria is increasing and the number of therapeutic alternatives to treat these infections is diminishing," they wrote in a reaction to the research.
However, critical care doctors do not have a lot of choices.
"Early intervention with appropriate antibiotics is lifesaving in patients with severe infection, yet the profligate use of antimicrobial agents contributes to progressive antimicrobial resistance," they wrote.
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