title: Nosocomial pneumonia in an intensive care unit in a Danish university hospital: incidence, mortality and etiology.
abstract: We studied the patients admitted to the ICU at a Danish university hospital during 1 year with respect to nosocomial pneumonia (NP). Among 242 patients, who stayed more than 48 h, 23 (10%) developed NP. Patients with NP had significantly higher mortality (43% vs. 19%, p less than 0.05), longer median stay (276 h vs. 99 h, p less than 0.05) and a longer median intubation period (256 h vs. 74 h, p less than 0.05). In the NP group surgical patients were overrepresented as compared to medical patients (74% vs. 45%, p less than 0.05). Thoracotomy, treatment with H-2 blockers and immunosuppression represented significant risk factors. Considering the etiology, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa constituted 43% of the cases in strong contrast to the low frequency of these pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia. NP in the ICU patient is a resource consuming disease associated with a high mortality (43%), which is related to the frequent severe underlying diseases of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Røder
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magnussen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engquist
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frimodt-Møller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors