RESUMO
In 1983 Cuba instituted its first Nosocomial Infection (NI) Control and Prevention National Program with a continuous surveillance system. We undertook the first NI prevalence study in 1997 in an attempt to compare our national findings with international results. A second prevalence study with a randomised design was undertaken between 24 and 29 May 2004. The overall rate of NI was 7.3% (284/4240; 95% CI: 5.9-7.4), and 6.7% of patients were found to have at least one NI. The highest rates were found in intensive care, intermediate care and burn units. The most frequent NI was surgical site infection, whereas the number of urinary tract infections remained low. Microbiological culture was obtained in nearly 53% of infections; Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas spp. were the most commonly isolated pathogens. Cephalosporins and aminoglycosides were the antibiotics most often used in the treatment of NIs. The risk factors for NIs found in the Cuban studies were similar to international reports.