Nosocomial bloodstream infections

The primary cause of illness and mortality, nosocomial bloodstream infections are the subject of the investigation. According to death certificates, these infections are the tenth most common cause of death in the US. Additionally, the study found that age-adjusted mortality had increased by 78%. According to studies, 36% of recipients of bone marrow transplants and 1% of infected persons were in intensive care units.
Pathogens with epidemiologically significant surveillance and control were used in the study. The research facility examined the trend in the microbiology of nosocomial BSIs using large national data. The organization is based at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The data obtained was consistent with that of National nosocomial Infection surveillance program.

Nosocomial was diagnosed if one or more culture of blood was drawn at least two days after admission yielded the pathogenic organism. Once the pathogen was found, the body temperature of the person was also recorded. The blood pressure of less than 90mm Hg was also registered. The routine was repeated including the patient's sex, age and the location at the onset of the pathogen infection. Factors like availability of predisposing clinical conditions and species distribution in the area where the patient originated were also recorded. The recording was to help examine the factors that enhance the spread of the pathogen to facilitate research.

The blood cultures were processed at the laboratory of the hospitals that were involved in the study. The methods used were in consistent with the standards of NCCLS. The samples of the organism were validated through reidentification of species and retesting of antimicrobial susceptibilities. The results obtained used statistical analysis. The results were expressed as a proportion of the total number of isolates. Fisher’s method was used to show differences in proportions.

The study was done for seven and a half years. A total of twenty-four thousand infections with twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and forty-seven organisms were reported by the hospitals that took part in the research. Gram-positive organisms caused sixty-five percent of the BSIs, twenty-five percent was caused by a gram-negative organism, and nine and a half percent was caused by fungi. Neutropenic patients had a common candida species. The candida species were enterococci and streptococci.

In conclusion, the study found out that the proportion of nosocomial BSIs prevalence was due to the increasing antibiotic-resistant organism in the US hospitals. In my opinion, the study was conducted well. The study took an extended period before concluding. The study also involved certified personnel.

Work cited



Wisplinghoff, Hilmar, et al. "Nosocomial bloodstream infections in US hospitals: analysis of

24,179 cases from a prospective nationwide surveillance study." Clinical infectious

diseases 39.3 (2004): 309-317.