Surveillance of microbial resistance in European Intensive Care Units: a first report from the Care-ICU programme for improved infection control.
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.
Hanberger
Håkan
H
Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna, Sweden. hakha@imk.liu.se
Arman
Dilek
D
Gill
Hans
H
Jindrák
Vlastimil
V
Kalenic
Smilja
S
Kurcz
Andrea
A
Licker
Monica
M
Naaber
Paul
P
Scicluna
Elizabeth A
EA
Vanis
Václav
V
Walther
Sten M
SM
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
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents