Epidemiology of nosocomial outbreaks: 14-year experience at a tertiary-care center

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hospital Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Nosocomial infections pose a significant threat to patient safety in healthcare settings.
• Understanding outbreak patterns is crucial for effective infection control strategies.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the epidemiology of nosocomial outbreaks over a 14-year period at a tertiary-care center.
• To identify the primary causative agents and associated mortality rates.
• To assess the incidence of outbreak-related infections and compare rates between general and intensive care units.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of nosocomial outbreak data over 14 years.
• Identification of causative organisms and determination of mortality.
• Calculation of outbreak incidence per 10,000 discharges and proportion of nosocomial infections.
• Comparison of incidence rates in intensive care units versus other hospital areas.

Main Results:

• Twelve nosocomial outbreaks were identified over the 14-year study period.
• The overall mortality rate was 25.8%, with 50% of deaths attributed to pneumonia.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequently identified organism.
• Outbreak incidence was 3 per 10,000 discharges, comprising 1.56% of all nosocomial infections.
• Incidence in the intensive care unit was 10-fold higher than in other units.

Conclusions:

• Nosocomial outbreaks represent a persistent challenge in tertiary-care settings.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreaks are associated with substantial mortality, particularly pneumonia.
• Intensive care units are high-risk areas for nosocomial outbreaks, necessitating targeted prevention efforts.