[Nosocomial infections in geriatric facilities]

In long term geriatric facilities, the prevalence of nosocomial infections (to the order of 10% in the surveys) is greater than that observed in short-term medical care centers. An endemia of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, of between 24 and 57% of hospitalized patients, is noted in many geriatric facilities. In decreasing order, the infections that predominate are: urinary (1/3), lower respiratory tract (1/4) and cutaneous tissue infections (1/5). However, these are often manifested by misleading semiology, and orient towards an organ other that which is infected.

Nosocomial infections are frequently related to the general health of the patient and/or to transmission during handling. Invasive treatments are rarely the cause in geriatry. Preventive measures are identical to those used in short-term care centers (handwashing, source isolation and appropriate use of antibiotics).

Encountered However, their application raises many problems. The living conditions (few facilities with single beds), the state of health of these elderly patients, often exhibiting multiple diseases and requiring assistance for their daily gestures, and the reduced number of staff at the bedside, require that these measures be adapted to each particularity.