Nosocomial infection surveillance in a vascular surgery unit

An epidemiological nosocomial infection surveillance program was conducted in the Vascular Surgery Unit of Purpan University Hospital, Toulouse, France, involving 389 patients hospitalized between June 1 and November 30, 1988. The methodology and inclusion criteria used were those of the Centers for Disease Control of Atlanta. Twenty-six patients had 30 nosocomial infections according to these criteria, a prevalence of 6.7% and an incidence of 5.6%. These patients were hospitalized for 485 of a total of 4317 days; bed occupation due to infection was 11.23%. Of the 30 infections, the most common were 13 (43.5%) urinary tract infections and six (20%) operative wound infections. E. coli (8 isolates) and Staphylococcus aureus (7 isolates) were the most frequently encountered offending microorganisms. A case-control study showed that mean hospitalization time was increased by 11 days (p less than 0.001) in infected patients and that antibiotics were used four times as often in these patients (p less than 0.001). Urinary tract infection represented 50% of nosocomial infections in our study. The prevalence and incidence of wound infection was 20% and 8%, respectively. Nosocomial infection always occurred in patients already infected or who were debilitated. Nosocomial infections prolonged hospitalization by 57%.