Infections with multidrug-resistant organisms among patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are associated with high mortality. Among multidrug-resistant organisms, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) harbor important pathogens for healthcare-associated infections, including pneumonia, bacteremia, and urinary tract infections. Risk factors for CRE colonization include underlying comorbid conditions, prior antibiotics exposure, prior use of healthcare facilities, device use, and longer ICU stay. The mortality rate due to invasive CRE infection is 22%–49%, and CRE colonization is associated with an approximately 10-fold increased risk of CRE infection. Infection control measures include hand hygiene, contact precautions, minimizing the use of devices, and environmental control. Additionally, implementing active surveillance of CRE carriage should be considered in ICU settings.
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Background Infection by multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens leads to poor patient outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs). Contact precautions are necessary to reduce the transmission of MDR pathogens. However, the importance of the surrounding environment is not well known. We studied the effects of ICU relocation on MDR respiratory pathogen detection rates and patient outcomes.
Methods Patients admitted to the ICU before and after the relocation were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline patient characteristics, types of respiratory pathogens detected, antibiotics used, and patient outcomes were measured.
Results A total of 463 adult patients admitted to the ICU, 4 months before and after the relocation, were included. Of them, 234 were admitted to the ICU before the relocation and 229 afterward. Baseline characteristics, including age, sex, and underlying comorbidities, did not differ between the two groups. After the relocation, the incidence rate of MDR respiratory pathogen detection decreased from 90.0 to 68.8 cases per 1,000 patient-days, but that difference was statistically insignificant. The use of colistin was significantly reduced from 53.5 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.3 to 86.7 days) to 18.7 days (95% CI, 5.6 to 31.7 days). Furthermore, the duration of hospital stay was significantly reduced from a median of 29 days (interquartile range [IQR], 14 to 50 days) to 21 days (IQR, 11 to 39 days).
Conclusions Incidence rates of MDR respiratory pathogen detection were not significantly different before and after ICU relocation. However, ICU relocation could be helpful in reducing the use of antibiotics against MDR pathogens and improving patient outcomes.
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Impact of intensive care unit relocation on the transmission dynamics of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: a genetic epidemiology study Qiannan E, He Wang, Yan Wang, Keke Li, Qingfeng Shi, Ling Cai, Yinghua Zhang Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
A look at the past to draw lessons for the future: how the case of an urgent ICU transfer taught us to always be ready with a plan B Laura Brunelli, Edoardo Miotto, Massimo Del Pin, Daniele Celotto, Adriana Moccia, Gianni Borghi, Amato De Monte, Cristiana Macor, Roberto Cocconi, Luca Lattuada, Silvio Brusaferro, Luca Arnoldo Frontiers in Medicine.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Colonization of the pre-transplant lung by multidrug-resistant bacteria affects short- and long-term outcomes of lung transplantation. However, there are no case reports on the colonization of a pre-transplant lung by drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. We report a case of extensively drug resistant (XDR) A. baumannii colonization in the tracheobronchial tree that caused severe infectious complications after bilateral lung transplantation. A 23-year-old man diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) 4 years earlier with a history of allogenic bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia was admitted to the hospital with dyspnea. Due to progressive hypercapnic respiratory failure, long-term mechanical ventilation was started after a tracheostomy was performed, and the patient underwent a bilateral lung transplantation to treat end-stage BOS. After the transplantation, the colonization of XDR A. baumannii caused severe bacterial pneumonia in the early postoperative period. Combined treatment with colistin and meropenem led to recovery from the pneumonia but caused drug-induced renal failure. Because many centers are willing to transplant candidates who are on mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal life support, the incidence of XDR A.
baumannii colonization of pretransplant lungs is expected to increase. Further studies are needed to examine pre-transplant management strategies in patients colonized with XDR A. baumannii.
BACKGROUND The role of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing or multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms in patients with sepsis secondary to urinary traction infection (UTI) has not been investigated extensively in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. METHODS Patients with UTI sepsis admitted to the ICU were retrospectively enrolled in this study (January 2009-December 2012). We investigated the impact of ESBL-producing and ESBL-negative MDR organisms on hospital outcome. RESULTS In total, 94 patients were enrolled (median age, 73.0 years; female, 81.9%), and ESBL-producing and ESBL-negative MDR organisms accounted for 20.2% (n = 19) and 30.9% (n = 29), respectively. Both patients with ESBL-producing and ESBL-negative MDR organisms were more likely to experience a delay in adequate antibiotic therapy than those with non-ESBL/non-MDR organisms (p < 0.001 and p = 0.032, respectively). However, only patients with ESBL-producing organisms showed a higher mortality rate (ESBL vs. ESBL-negative MDR vs. non-ESBL/non-MDR, 31.6% vs.
10.3%.vs. 10.9%, respectively). In multivariate analyses, ESBL production was significantly associated with hospital mortality (odds ratio, 11.547; 95micro confidence interval, 1.047-127.373), and prior admission was a significant predictor of ESBL production. CONCLUSIONS Although both ESBL-producing and ESBL-negative MDR organisms are associated with delayed administration of appropriate antibiotics, only ESBL production is a significant predictor of hospital mortality among patients with UTI sepsis in the ICU setting.
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