title: Risk factors for nosocomial bloodstream infections.
abstract: A retrospective study of 205 patients was performed to identify the risk factors associated with nosocomial bloodstream infection (BSI). The study occurred during a 5-month period in four medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in Athens, Greece. Risk factors were determined using single and multivariate analyses. Thirty-five patients developed nosocomial BSI (17.1%). The incidence density (defined as the number of new cases of BSI divided by the total of patient-days in the population studied; Jarvis, 1997) of BSI was 14.3 per 1000 patient-days (total number of days that patients are in the ICU during the selected time period). A multivariate model showed that only three factors were significantly and independently responsible for nosocomial BSI: the length of ICU stay (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) 1.052, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.018-1.087, P = 0.002); the presence of trauma at admission (AOR 2.622, 95% CI 1.074-6.404, P = 0.034); and nosocomial ventilator-associated pneumonia (AOR 6.153, 95% CI 2.305-16.422, P = 0.000). These results show that the factors that had most influence on the development of nosocomial BSI were those factors associated with the treatment received by patients during ICU stay.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Apostolopolou
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katsaris
authors.forename: Theophanis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katostaras
mesh_terms: D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015984:Causality; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology