Prevalence of Healthcare-Associated Infections in the Intensive Care Unit of a Northern Peruvian Hospital.

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.15951125180212

• Palavras-chave: Hospital infection; Intensive care units; Epidemiology; Risk factors; Comorbidity.

• Keywords: Hospital infection; Intensive care units; Epidemiology; Risk factors; Comorbidity.

• Abstract:

  Objective: To determine the prevalence of health care-associated infections (HAI) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital in northern Peru and to analyze the factors associated with their occurrence.
  Material and methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out with 348 records of patients hospitalized in the ICU of the EsSalud Tumbes Hospital between 2020 and 2022. Epidemiological surveillance records with complete information were included and cases with a history of HCAI prior to admission or with stays of less than 48 hours were excluded. Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate frequencies and the chi-square test was used to analyze associations, with a significance level of 5%.
  Results: The prevalence of HAIs was 7.2 %. No significant association was found with sex (p=0.918), but there was a significant association with advanced age, where the group older than 60 years presented the highest prevalence (p<0.001). In addition, the presence of comorbidities showed a significant association with the development of HAIs (p<0.001), highlighting chronic pathologies as predisposing factors.
  Conclusions: The prevalence of HAIs in the ICU studied is within the range reported in the literature, although below previous studies in Peru. Advanced age and comorbidities are key factors in its occurrence, which highlights the need to reinforce prevention strategies in these risk groups. It is recommended to continue with prospective studies that include detailed microbiological analyses for a better characterization of the pathogens involved.