PREVALENCE OF INTRAHOSPITAL INFECTIONS IN AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FOR A SIX-YEAR PERIOD
Keywords:
intrahospital infections, intensive care, bacteria, tracheal aspirate, wound swab, blood cultureAbstract
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) represent one of the most significant contemporary challenges in healthcare, both globally and in the countries of the region to which our country belongs. This term refers to any clinically manifested infectious disease that is directly related to healthcare – regardless of whether it occurs during hospitalization, during outpatient treatment or within the framework of preventive interventions. The time of onset of symptoms is not decisive, since the infection can manifest before, during or after the completion of the healthcare service. The cause of these infections is most often associated with various medical procedures: diagnostic examinations, therapeutic treatments, provision of medical care, rehabilitation, as well as other health interventions. Although they often appear as an additional complication, HAIs in many cases represent a more serious health problem than the underlying disease for which the patient initially sought medical help. According to estimates, their prevalence is about 5–10% of all hospitalized patients, while in intensive care units in some countries it can exceed 50%.
Objective: The main objective is to present the number of intrahospital infections, the most common cause and sample for the most common type of sample examination.
Materials and methods: Data taken from the State Statistical Office for a period of six years, from 2019 to 2024, are presented in appropriate graphs.
Results: Our paper includes 1869 cases of intrahospital infections in the National Institute of Health, for the period from 2019 to 2024. The most common causes of IHI for the period of these years are: Staphylococcus aureus – methicillin resistant, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp. According to the type of IHI sample examination, the most common source is: tracheal aspirate, wound swab and blood culture.Conclusion: Intrahospital infections represent a significant health and social problem, the prevention of which requires a systemic and coordinated approach. Insufficient hygiene and incomplete application of sterilization standards in public health institutions create a serious risk for patients, with the consequences often being more severe than the underlying disease. The role of health workers is crucial, as their expertise and responsibility are the basis for the successful application of preventive measures. The introduction and consistent adherence to protocols for cleaning, disinfection, sterilization and medical waste management are necessary to minimize the possibility of spreading infections. In addition, the development of annual infection control programs and the use of modern technology are a prerequisite for ensuring safe and quality health care. By implementing these strategies in an integrated manner, hospitals will not only reduce the rate of nosocomial infections, but also improve the overall quality of healthcare and patient confidence in the healthcare system
References
Abbas, M. A., Abdullahi, A. A., Murtala, H. A., Yusuf, A. L., Mukhtar, R. A., & Salihu, H. M. (2025). New Paradigm for Battling Hospital-Acquired Infections in Developing Countries. International journal of MCH and AIDS, 14, e008. https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMA_52_2024
Adal, O., Tsehay, Y. T., Ayenew, B., Abate, T. W., Mekonnen, G. B., Mulatu, S., Mamo, S. T., Ayenew, T., Messelu, M. A., & Belayneh, A. G. (2025). The burden and predictors of hospital-acquired infection in intensive care units across Sub-Sahara Africa: systematic review and metanalysis. BMC infectious diseases, 25(1), 634. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11038-7
Despotovic, A., Milosevic, B., Milosevic, I., Mitrovic, N., Cirkovic, A., Jovanovic, S., & Stevanovic, G. (2020). Hospital-acquired infections in the adult intensive care unit-Epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and risk factors for acquisition and mortality. American journal of infection control, 48(10), 1211–1215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.01.009
De Pascale, G., Cortegiani, A., Rinaldi, M., Antonelli, M., Cattaneo, S., Cecconi, M., Cuffaro, R., Dalfino, L., Di Biase, F., Donati, A., Fasano, F. R., Fasciana, T., Foti, G., Frattari, A., Fumagalli, R., Girardis, M., Gottin, L., Mattei, A., Milazzo, M., Montrucchio, G., … INCREASE-IT Study Group (2025). Incidence of hospital-acquired infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critically ill patients in Italy: a multicentre prospective cohort study. Critical care (London, England), 29(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-025-05266-1
Dong, Y., & Liu, H. (2025). Point-prevalence surveys of hospital-acquired infections in 42 Chinese hospitals in Weifang, China: from 2015 to 2020. BMC infectious diseases, 25(1), 658. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11046-7
Jin, Y., Xu, W., Liu, F., Fan, S., & Suo, Y. (2025). The status of infection prevention and control structures in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Northwest China: findings from WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF). Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 14(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-025-01598-3
Kumar, R., Kumar Maurya, P., Kumar Singh, A., Qavi, A., Kulshreshtha, D., & Sen, M. (2025). Prevalence of hospital-acquired infection among patients with acute neurological conditions in the ICU. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 134, 111072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2025.111072
Monegro, A. F., Muppidi, V., & Regunath, H. (2023). Hospital-Acquired Infections(Archived). In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Mouajou, V., Adams, K., DeLisle, G., & Quach, C. (2022). Hand hygiene compliance in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections: a systematic review. The Journal of hospital infection, 119, 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.09.016
Odoom, A., & Donkor, E. S. (2025). Prevalence of Healthcare-Acquired Infections Among Adults in Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Health science reports, 8(7), e70939. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70939
Raoofi, S., Pashazadeh Kan, F., Rafiei, S., Hosseinipalangi, Z., Noorani Mejareh, Z., Khani, S., Abdollahi, B., Seyghalani Talab, F., Sanaei, M., Zarabi, F., Dolati, Y., Ahmadi, N., Raoofi, N., Sarhadi, Y., Masoumi, M., Sadat Hosseini, B., Vali, N., Gholamali, N., Asadi, S., Ahmadi, S., … Ghashghaee, A. (2023). Global prevalence of nosocomial infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 18(1), e0274248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274248
Sikora, A., & Zahra, F. (2023). Nosocomial Infections. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Thakkar, J., Shanoo, A., Gupta, S., & Thakkar, A. (2023). The Pattern and Impact of Hospital-Acquired Infections and Its Outlook in India. Cureus, 15(11), e48583. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.48583
Zirpe, K. G., Gurav, S. K., Dhawad, P. A., Tiwari, A. M., Deshmukh, A. M., Suryawanshi, P. B., Kapse, U. S., Wankhede, P. P., Bhoyar, A. P., Malhotra, R. V., Vaidya, H. S., Mukherjee, S., Suryawanshi, R., & Dixit, S. B. (2025). Hospital-acquired Infections in the Adult Intensive Care Unit: Epidemiology, Resistance Patterns, and Risk Factors. The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 73(2), 51–55. https://doi.org/10.59556/japi.73.0850
