Infectious Diseases

The number of infectious complications encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU) continues to increase. Patients who otherwise would have not survived in the past are now improving due to new technical advancements. However, the length of stay, as well as the large number of devices employed for this purpose, predisposes patients to difficult and often fatal infections. Clinical characteristics of patients who are treated in the ICU have evolved in recent years. Those who are immunocompromised, post-transplant, and the geriatric population are now regularly treated in the ICU with the consequent increase in morbidity, mortality, and cost.