title: Cost analysis and evaluation of nosocomial infections in intensive care units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate nosocomial infections occurring in our hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and the risk factors for these, and to determine the effect of these infections on mortality and cost.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study was performed via infection control committee surveillance data, ICU records, and information processing data between 1 January and 31 December 2013 at the Kanuni Education and Research Hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 309 nosocomial infections were observed in 205 out of 566 patients. The density of nosocomial infections was 25.4 in 1000 patient days. Hospitalization was prolonged, and APACHE II and Charlson comorbidity scores were high in patients developing nosocomial infections (P < 0.001). Of the patients diagnosed with a nosocomial infection, 170 died. Infections were determined as the cause of death in 62 (36.5%) of the nonsurviving patients with a nosocomial infection. Acinetobacter baumannii was identified in 46 (74.2%) of the patients that died from nosocomial infections. The mean cost in patients developing a nosocomial infection was 15,229.30 Turkish lira (TL), compared to 9648.00 TL in patients without a nosocomial infection (P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regular infection control education sessions need to be held and the number of nurses needs to be increased in order to be able to reduce this high mortality, morbidity, and cost.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinic, Kanuni Education and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kostakoğlu
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic, Kanuni Education and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saylan
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Diseases Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mevlüt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karataş
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinic, Kanuni Education and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: İskender
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Firdevs
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kanuni Education and Research Hospital, Karadeniz Technical University Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gürdal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D003428:Cross Infection; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Nosocomial infections; cost analysis; intensive care units