Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant concern in hospitals all over the world. The problem has intensified as inadvertent consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has necessitated a sharpened focus on preventing HAIs in the clinical handling of COVID cases. Our objective, in this investigation, was to analyze and compare the rate of HAI cases admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) before and during the pandemic era.
This research was conducted as a descriptive-analytical, multicenter retrospective study observing several ICUs in hospitals associated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences from 2017 through 2022. We took into account a total of 14,268 patients, from whom 20,942 distinct microbial specimens were obtained. Findings showed that a significant number (52.9%) of documented cases, along with their associated microbes (52.64%), were recorded during the time of the pandemic. Of these cases in ICU throughout the research timeline, more patients were discharged (64.8%) than those who succumbed to their conditions (35.5%). The proportion of fatalities was higher during the pandemic (70.7%) relative to the time before (29.3%).
The five most prevalent microorganisms found were Klebsiella species, Acinetobacter species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus species, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most common types of HAIs reported were Ventilator-associated Events (VAEs). A notable increase in certain infection types—like Prosthetic Medical Equipment-related Ulcers (PMEUs) and Blood Stream Infections (BSIs)—and a decrease in others—like Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)—were observed during the pandemic compared to the pre-COVID era.
Remarkably, our data showed a significant spike in in-patient mortality across all major infection categories during the COVID-19 era. Mortality in the Surgical Site Infection (SSI) group saw the most considerable increase. Therefore, our findings underscore the indispensable necessity of persistent surveillance and refining of infection control protocols, especially in ICUs, to curb HAIs and enhance patient outcomes amid ongoing global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1475221/full