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The Rising Problem of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Intensive Care Units

May Mei-Sheng Riley1

  • 1May Mei-Sheng Riley is an infection control consultant at Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California. mayriley@gmail.com.

Critical Care Nurse
|August 3, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Multidrug-resistant organism infections are a growing threat in intensive care units, leading to treatment failures and increased mortality. Critical care nurses play a vital role in implementing infection prevention strategies to combat these resistant pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Critical care medicine
  • Infectious diseases
  • Nursing

Background:

  • Antimicrobial overuse and misuse have led to a significant rise in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
  • MDRO infections pose a severe threat to critical care patients, characterized by high mortality, poor prognosis, and increased healthcare costs.
  • Intensive care unit (ICU) patients with stays exceeding 24 hours have a 19% risk of acquiring infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the severity of multidrug-resistant organism infections in critical care settings.
  • To identify risk factors predisposing critically ill patients to these infections.
  • To review essential infection prevention strategies for critical care nurses.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of current evidence on MDROs in critical care.
  • Categorization of infection control strategies into vertical (pathogen-specific) and horizontal (non-specific) approaches.
  • Emphasis on the importance of compliance with infection control practices.

Main Results:

  • MDRO infections are difficult to treat due to high rates of antimicrobial therapy failure.
  • These infections are associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and elevated medical expenses.
  • Critical care patients possess specific risk factors that increase their susceptibility to infections.

Conclusions:

  • Effective infection prevention interventions by critical care nurses are crucial.
  • Horizontal and vertical infection control strategies are vital for preventing MDRO transmission.
  • Adherence to infection control practices is paramount in mitigating the spread of MDROs through cross-contamination.

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