Extensive Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Species Isolates in Sputum Sample of Patient Admitted in Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Increasing antibiotic resistance has created a global public health threat worldwide. Acinetobacter species is one of the important pathogenic organisms in the hospital setting due to its ability to persist in the hospital environment for long. Its resistance to commonly used antibiotics can prolong hospital stay, increase financial burden, and increase morbidity and mortality. This study aims to find the prevalence of extensive drug resistant Acinetobacter species in the sputum sample of Intensive Care Unit patients admitted in a tertiary care center. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care center among the hospital records from May 2017 to May 2021, after ethical approval (Reference number: 2104202101). Hospital records of all Intensive Care Unit patients with Acinetobacter species isolated in their sputum sample within the past four years were collected and Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 was utilized for analysis. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: Of the total 409, 196 (47.9%) (95% Confidence Interval= 43.06-52.74) of Acinetobacter species in the sputum sample had extensive drug resistance. Of these, 193 (98.5%) and 1 (0.5%) of the extensive drug resistant Acinetobacter species were resistant to carbapenem and polymyxin respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of extensive drug resistant acinetobacter was found higher compared to other studies.