Epidemiology of Multidrug Resistant Infections after Inter-ICU Transfer in India

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are often infected with multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms. When they are transferred to other ICUs, they can expand the reservoir of MDR organisms and pose a threat to the infection control program. The present observational study was undertaken to describe the epidemiology and compare the outcome of MDR and non-MDR infections after inter ICU patient transfer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a cohort of 134 consecutive admitted patients in a tertiary care ICU from other ICUs. The primary objective was to measure the prevalence of MDR and non-MDR infections. The secondary objective was to compare the outcome between MDR and non-MDR group and identify the factors independently associated with mortality for each group. RESULTS: Among 134 patients, 89 had infections (66.4%) and in 29 (21.6%) were due to MDR organisms. The most common organism was Klebsiella in the MDR and E. coli in the non-MDR group. There was no difference between the groups in mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation and length of ICU stay. The duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay >7 days was independently associated with mortality in the MDR group. No association was found in the non-MDR group. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates a high prevalence of MDR infections after inter ICU transfer. There is no difference in outcome between the groups, but the mortality in the MDR group is independently associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Choudhuri AH, Ahuja B, Biswas PS, Uppal R. Epidemiology of Multidrug Resistant Infections after Inter-ICU Transfer in India. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, January 2019;23(1):1-6.