Impact of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic on mortality associated with healthcare-associated infections

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), and mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Three St. Louis, MO hospitals. PATIENTS: Adults admitted ≥48 hours from January 1, 2017 to August 31, 2020. METHODS: Hospital-acquired infections were defined as those occurring ≥48 hours after admission and were based on positive urine, respiratory, and blood cultures. Poisson interrupted time series compared mortality trajectory before (beginning January 1, 2017) and during the first 6 months of the pandemic. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify risk factors for mortality in patients with an HAI before and during the pandemic. A time-to-event analysis considered time to death and discharge by fitting Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Among 6,447 admissions with subsequent HAIs, patients were predominantly White (67.9%), with more females (50.9% vs 46.1%, P = .02), having slightly lower body mass index (28 vs 29, P = .001), and more having private insurance (50.6% vs 45.7%, P = .01) in the pre-pandemic period. In the pre-pandemic era, there were 1,000 (17.6%) patient deaths, whereas there were 160 deaths (21.3%, P = .01) during the pandemic. A total of 53 (42.1%) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients died having an HAI. Age and comorbidities increased the risk of death in patients with COVID-19 and an HAI. During the pandemic, Black patients with an HAI and COVID-19 were more likely to die than White patients with an HAI and COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: In three Midwestern hospitals, patients with concurrent HAIs and COVID-19 were more likely to die if they were Black, elderly, and had certain chronic comorbidities.