Prevalence of nosocomial infections in Covid-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Imam Khomeini complex hospital in Tehran

Esmaeil Mohammadnejad; Seyed Ali Dehghan Manshadi; Mohammad  Taghi Beig Mohammadi; Alireza Abdollai; Arash Seifi; Mohammad Reza Salehi; Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh

doi:10.18502/ijm.v13i6.8075

Esmaeil Mohammadnejad Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing and Basic Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Seyed Ali Dehghan Manshadi Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Taghi Beig Mohammadi Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Abdollai Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Arash Seifi Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Salehi Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v13i6.8075

Keywords: Pneumonia infection; COVID-19; Intensive care unit

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Nosocomial infections (NIs) are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in intensive care units (ICU). Pneumonia is the most common serious manifestation of infection in Covid-19 patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1240 Covid-19 patients admitted for more than 48 h in the ICUs of Imam Khomeini Complex Hospital (IKCH) in Tehran for seven months in 2020 were included in the study with initial di- agnosis of Covid-19 (PCR test and chest imaging). Data were collected regarding severity of the illness, primary reason for ICU admission, presence of risk factors, presence of infection, length of ICU and hospital stay, microbial type and antibiotic resistance. In this study, the pattern of antibiotic resistance was determined using the disk difusion method.

Results: In this study, 289 (23.3%) out of 1320 patients experienced NIs. 221 (76.4%) out of 289 patients had underlying diseases and the most common of which were hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, respectively. 163 patients (56.4%) were RT-PCR COVID-19 positive and 200 patients (69%) died. The majority of patients with NIs (71%) were over 55 years old. The most common type of nosocomial infection (66%) was ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAE). The most common microorganisms that cause pneumonia were Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aerugino- sa, respectively.

Conclusion: Pneumonia infection is high in Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU, it needs to be planned with the diagnosis and measures related to the control and prevention of this infection.