Risk factors for acquiring Acinetobacter baumannii infection in the intensive care unit: experience from a Moroccan hospital

INTRODUCTION. Acinetobacter species are non-fermenting and ubiquitous Gram-negative coccobacilli, which in recent years have become the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Our objective here was to study the epidemiology and risk factors associated with Acinetobacter baumannii infections in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS. This retrospective case-control study was conducted collaboratively between the Medical Bacteriology Department and the two ICUs of the Military Hospital of Instruction Mohammed V-Rabat over a 3 month period. RESULTS. We included 180 patients, of whom 60 had A. baumannii infection. We observed a male predominance in both matched groups, with a sex ratio of 1.6. The median age was 67 years [interquartile range (IQR) 59.5–77]. The median length of stay in the ICU before infection was 8.5 days (IQR 5–14). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the risk factors statistically associated with A. baumannii infection at the ICU level as follows: duration of invasive procedures >7 days [odds ratio (OR)=1.02], parenteral nutrition (OR=3.514), mechanical ventilation (OR=3.024), imipenem (OR=18.72), colistin (OR=5.645), probabilistic antibiotic therapy >4 days (OR=9.063) and neoplastic pathology (OR=5.727). CONCLUSION. Based on our results, it can be inferred that shortening the duration of stay in the resuscitation setting, implementing rational use of medical devices and optimizing antibiotic therapy could decrease the incidence of these infections.