title: Surveillance of microbial resistance in European Intensive Care Units: a first report from the Care-ICU programme for improved infection control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report initial results from a European ICU surveillance programme focussing on antibiotic consumption, microbial resistance and infection control.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five ICUs participated during 2005. Microbial resistance, antibiotic consumption and infection control stewardship measures were entered locally into a web-application. Results were validated locally, aggregated by project leaders and fed back to support local audit and benchmarking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median (range) antibiotic consumption was 1,254 (range 348-4,992) DDD per 1,000 occupied bed days. The proportion of MRSA was median 11.6% (range 0-100), for ESBL phenotype of E. coli and K. pneumoniae 3.9% (0-80) and 14.3% (0-77.8) respectively, and for carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa 22.5% (0-100). Screening on admission for alert pathogens was commonly omitted, and there was a lack of single rooms for isolation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The surveillance programme demonstrated wide variation in antibiotic consumption, microbial resistance and infection control measures. The programme may, by providing rapid access to aggregated results, promote local and regional audit and benchmarking of antibiotic use and infection control practices.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna, Sweden. hakha@imk.liu.se
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanberger
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arman
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Vlastimil
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jindrák
authors.forename: Smilja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalenic
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurcz
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Licker
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naaber
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Scicluna
authors.forename: Václav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vanis
authors.forename: Sten M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Walther
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010356:Patient Isolation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents