Risk factor analysis of blood stream infection and pneumonia in neutropenic patients after peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation.

The purpose of this study was to analyse risk factors for blood stream infection (BSI) and pneumonia in neutropenic patients who have undergone peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT). Data were taken from the ONKO-KISS multicenter surveillance project. Infections were identified using CDC definitions (laboratory-confirmed BSI) and modified criteria for pneumonia in neutropenic patients. The multivariate analysis was performed using the Fine-Gray regression model for the cumulative incidences of the competing events 'infection', 'death' and 'end of neutropenia'. The risk factors investigated were: sex, age, underlying disease and type of transplant. From January 2000 to June 2004, a total of 1699 patients in 20 hospitals were investigated. In the multivariate analysis, male patients had a significantly higher risk of acquiring BSI than female patients (P=0.002). The risk of acquiring BSI is highest in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In the univariate and multivariate analysis, unrelated donor allogeneic transplantation constituted a risk factor for pneumonia (P=0.012). ONKO-KISS provides reference data on the incidence of pneumonia and BSI. The increased risk for BSI in males and patients with advanced AML, and the increased risk for pneumonia in unrelated donor allogeneic PBSCT patients should be targeted to prevent infections in these higher risk groups.

[Quality assurance and infection control in outpatient surgery]. / Qualitätssicherung und Hygiene beim ambulanten Operieren : Ergebnisse einer Umfrage im Rahmen von AMBU-KISS.

BACKGROUND: According to the German Law on Infectious Diseases (Infektionsschutzgesetz or IfSG) German outpatient centres must provide evidence of maintaining certain standards of hygiene and record their nosocomial infection rates. To fulfill their legal obligations, the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and the Prevention of Infection recommends surveillance modules such as that known as AMBU-KISS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The AMBU-KISS project centre implemented a survey to evaluate all procedures relevant to hygiene, surveillance of surgical site infections, and facilities available at centres participating in the AMBU-KISS surveillance programme. The questionnaire was returned by 99 of 110 participants. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: All the centres possess cleaning and disinfection schemes, and practically all of them use written instructions on the processing of instruments and surgical hand disinfection procedure. Many of the participants spend too much time on surgical hand disinfection and presurgical skin disinfection. CONCLUSION: The survey demonstrates that hygienic conditions at centres participating in AMBU-KISS are largely satisfactory. However, there is nevertheless a need to optimise infection control measures.

Secular trends of bloodstream infections during neutropenia in 15 181 haematopoietic stem cell transplants: 13-year results from a European multicentre surveillance study (ONKO-KISS).

OBJECTIVES: Antibacterial resistance is emerging in patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and most data on the epidemiology of bloodstream infections (BSI)-causing pathogens come from retrospective single-centre studies. This study sought to investigate trends in the epidemiology of BSI in HSCT patients from a prospective multicentre cohort. METHODS: We investigated changes in the incidence of causative organisms of BSI during neutropenia among adult HSCT patients for 2002-2014. The data were collected from a prospective cohort for infection surveillance in 20 haematologic cancer centres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (ONKO-KISS). RESULTS: A total of 2388 of 15 181 HSCT patients with neutropenia (1471 allogeneic (61.6%) and 917 autologous (38.4%) HSCT) developed BSI (incidence 15.8% per year). The incidence of Gram-negative BSI increased over time both in patients after allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT) and autologous HSCT (auto-HSCT). BSI caused by Escherichia coli in allo-HSCT patients increased from 1.1% in 2002 to 3.8% in 2014 (3/279 vs. 31/810 patients, p <0.001), and the incidence of BSI caused by enterococci increased from 1.8% to 3.3% (5 vs. 27 patients, p <0.001). In contrast, the incidence of BSI due to coagulase-negative staphylococci decreased in allo-HSCT patients from 8.2% to 5.1%, (23 vs. 40 patients, p <0.001) and in auto-HSCT patients from 7.7% to 2.0% (13/167 vs. 30/540 patients; p = 0.028 for period 2002-2011). No significant trends were observed for the incidence of BSI due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci or extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The BSI case fatality remained unchanged over the study period (total of 477 fatalities, 3.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of Gram-negative BSI significantly increased over time in this vulnerable patient population, providing evidence for reevaluating empiric therapy for neutropenic fever in HSCT patients.

Surveillance of nosocomial sepsis and pneumonia in patients with a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant: a multicenter project.

BACKGROUND: For surveillance of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) and pneumonia during neutropenia in adult patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), a multicenter study--the Hospital Infection Surveillance System for Patients with Hematologic/Oncologic Malignancies (ONKO-KISS)--was initiated in Germany in 2000. METHODS: Nosocomial infections were identified in neutropenic patients by means of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions for laboratory-confirmed BSI and modified criteria for pneumonia. RESULTS: During the first 38-month period of the study (i.e., through December 2003), a total of 1899 patients associated with 28,273 neutropenic days were investigated. Of these, 1173 (62%) had undergone allogeneic and 726 (38%) had undergone autologous BMT or PBSCT. The mean duration of neutropenia was 14.9 days (9.6 and 18.1 days after autologous and allogeneic transplantation, respectively). Overall, 395 BSIs and 168 cases of pneumonia were identified. The pooled mean site-specific incidence density per 1000 neutropenic days was 14.0 for BSI (12.4 and 18.9 for the allogeneic and autologous transplantation groups, respectively) and 5.9 for pneumonia (6.1 and 5.6 in the allogeneic and autologous transplantation groups, respectively). After allogeneic transplantation, 22.4 BSIs per 100 patients and 11.0 cases of pneumonia per 100 patients occurred, whereas 18.2 BSIs per 100 patients and 5.4 cases of pneumonia per 100 patients occurred after autologous transplantation. The majority (57%) of pathogens associated with BSI were coagulase-negative staphylococci. CONCLUSIONS: The ongoing ONKO-KISS project provides unprecedented reference data about the incidence of pneumonia and sepsis among BMT recipients and PBSCT recipients in Germany. These data will be used for further evaluation of the impact of hygiene measures and therapeutic regimens for these patients.

Surveillance of nosocomial infections in adult recipients of allogeneic and autologous bone marrow and peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation.

To identify overall and site-specific rates of nosocomial infections (NIs) during the neutropenic, as compared to the non-neutropenic stage of treatment in adult recipients of allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT), a prospective, 54-month study was started at the Haematological Stem Cell Transplantation Unit of the University Hospital of Freiburg, Germany. NI types were identified using modified CDC definitions. A total of 351 patients (14 256 in-patient days, 5026 neutropenic days) were investigated (316/90% allogeneic, 35/10% autologous; BMT: 119 patients, PBSCT: 234 patients). The mean length of neutropenia was 14.3 days (range: 0-66). Antimicrobial prophylaxis for allogeneic transplantation consisted of ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulpha-methoxazole, fluconazole, and metronidazole. In total, 239 NIs were identified in 169 patients (48.1%), and of these 171 (71.5%) occurred during neutropenia (34.0 NIs per 1000 days at risk). The main pathogens were coagulase-negative staphylococci (36.3%), Clostridium difficile (20.4%), and enterococci (10.0%). Site-specific incidence densities during neutropenia vs non-neutropenia were: 13.9 vs 1.6 bloodstream infections (all central line-associated), 11.9 vs 1.8 pneumonias, 3.0 vs 2.9 gastroenteritis, and 1.6 vs 0.3 urinary tract infections. The greatest number of NI in BMT and PBSCT recipients is acquired during neutropenia, and multicentre surveillance programmes should focus on this.

Surveillance of nosocomial infections in a neurology intensive care unit.

To identify overall and site-specific nosocomial infection (NI) rates in patients receiving neurological intensive care therapy, a prospective study was started in 1997 in the ten-bed neurological intensive-care unit (NICU) of the University Hospital of Freiburg, Germany. Case records and microbiology reports were reviewed twice a week, and ward staff were consulted. NI were defined according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria and were categorised by specific infection site. Within 30 months, 505 patients with a total of 4,873 patient days were studied (mean length of stay: 9.6 days). 122 NI were identified in 96 patients (74 patients with one, 18 with two and 4 with three infections. An incidence of 24.2/100 patients and incidence density of 25.0/1,000 patient days of NI in the neurological ICU were documented. Site-specific incidence rates and incidence densities were: 1.4 bloodstream infections per 100 patients (1.9 central line-associated BSIs per 1,000 central line-days), 11.7 pneumonias per 100 patients (20.4 ventilator-associated pneumonias per 1,000 ventilator-days), 8.7 urinary tract infections per 100 patients (10.0 urinary catheter-associated urinary track infections (UTIs) per 1,000 urinary catheter-days). Additionally, 0.4 cases of meningitis, 0.8 ventriculitis, and 1.2 other infections (catheter-related local infection, diarrhea) were documented per 1,000 patient days. 15% of nosocomial pathogens were A. baumannii (due to a outbreak of an nosocomial pneumonia with A. baumannii), 13% S. aureus, 10% E. coli, 7% CNS,7% Bacteroides spp., 7% Enterobacter spp., 6,5% Klebsiella spp.,5.9% enterococci, 5.9% streptococci, and 4.7% Pseudomonas spp. In eight cases of NI no pathogen could be isolated. In future, data on NI in NICUs should be assessed in greater detail, both to improve the quality of care and serve as a basis for identification and implementation of the most effective measures by which to prevent these infections in patients receiving intensive neurological care.

Comparison of effectiveness and required time of two surveillance methods in intensive care patients.

The intensive care unit (ICU) standardized protocol of the NNIS (National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance) system is a surveillance method of hospital acquired infections (HAI), which provides device-associated infection rates. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and the required time for data collection and analysis of a selective surveillance method (SSM) derived from the NNIS ICU surveillance protocol, and to compare its data with that of a reference surveillance method (RSM). The sensitivity, specificity and the positive predictive value (PPV) of the RSM were 87.5, 100 and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and the PPV of the SSM were 59.4 97.6 and 79.2%, respectively. Considering device-related infections only (ventilator-related pneumonia, catheter-related urinary tract infections, central line-related sepsis), the sensitivities of the RSM and the SSM were 80.9 and 90.5%, respectively. The SSM required only one third of the time of the RSM (1.1 h and 3.4 h per 10 beds per week with the SSM and the RSM, respectively). We conclude that the SSM has a very high sensitivity for detecting device associated infections, but is not sensitive enough for surveying all types of HAI.

[AMBU-KISS: quality control in outpatient surgery]. / AMBU-KISS. Qualitätssicherung beim ambulanten Operieren.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections are associated with considerable morbidity and additional health care costs arising from lengthy hospitalization. According to the German Infection Protection Act implemented on 1 January 2001, hospitals and outpatient surgery institutions are required to assess and document nosocomial infections. The data are to be made available to the German Ministry of Health on demand. METHOD: We report on a new surveillance module (AMBU-KISS) designed to assess and document surgical site infections in outpatient surgery. The objective is to create a reference database for these institutions. RESULTS: Preliminary results obtained for two indicator procedures show no significant differences in surgical site infection rates between outpatient surgery institutions and the hospital setting (OP-KISS). The arithmetic mean values of surgical site infection rates in arthroscopic surgery of the knee are 0.09% in AMBU-KISS and 0.11% in OP-KISS. For inguinal hernias, the respective rates are 0.65% and 0.78%. A significant difference was observed only for vein stripping procedures, with surgical site infection rates of 0.38% in AMBU-KISS and 0.64%in OP-KISS CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that AMBU-KISS is a reliable tool for assessing surgical site infections in outpatient surgery.

[Surgical site infections in hospitals and outpatient settings. Results of the German nosocomial infection surveillance system (KISS)]. / Postoperative Wundinfektionen nach stationären und ambulanten OperationenErgebnisse aus dem Krankenhaus-Infektions-Surveillance-System (KISS).

About 1,000,000 hospital days attributable to surgical site infections can be expected per year in German hospitals. Among the various measures for prevention, surveillance of surgical site infections is strongly recommended. Therefore, beginning in 1997 the National Reference Center for Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections began to establish a hospital infection surveillance system in order to provide data for prevention and control of these infections. The surveillance system (called KISS) documents postoperative surgical site infections in patients undergoing selected indicator procedures. Today we have an overview of 274,050 procedures for a total of 20 operative indicator procedures. A further surveillance component focussing on surgical site infections in outpatient settings has recently been developed (AMBU-KISS). The participating hospitals and outpatient settings regularly receive their infection rates as well as the equivalent data of all hospitals involved in order to assess the position of their own hospital. However, competent and meaningful interpretation of these data is necessary for internal quality management in order to avoid wrong conclusions. The available results demonstrate that this approach can lead to a substantial reduction of surgical site infections.

Nosocomial infections in a neurosurgery intensive care unit.

In order to identify overall and site-specific nosocomial infection (NI) rates in patients receiving neurosurgical intensive care therapy, a prospective study was started in February 1997 in the eight-bed neurosurgical ICU of the University Hospital of Freiburg, Germany. Case records were reviewed twice a week, all microbiology reports were reviewed and ward staff was consulted. NI were defined according to the CDC-criteria and were categorised into specific infection sites. Within 20 months, 545 patients with a total of 5,117 patient days were investigated (mean length of stay: 9.4 days). 113 NI were identified in 90 patients (72 pts. with one, 13 with two and 5 with three infections, respectively). A moderate to high overall incidence (20.7/100 pts.) and a moderate incidence density (22.1/1,000 patient days) of NI in the neurosurgical ICU could be documented; these figures are well within the range of published data. Site specific incidence rates and incidence densities were: 1 bloodstream infection per 100 patients (0.9 central line-associated BSIs per 1,000 central line-days), 9 pneumonias per 100 patients (15.1 ventilator-associated pneumonias per 1,000 ventilator-days), 7.3 urinary tract infections per 100 patients (8.5 urinary catheter-associated UTIs per 1,000 urinary catheter-days). Additionally, 1.1 cases of meningitis, 0.7 brain abscesses/ventriculitis, and 1.7 other infections (surgical site infection, bronchitis, catheter related local infection, diarrhoea) were documented per 100 patients, respectively. 14.6% of isolated pathogens were E. coli, 10.2% enterococci, 9.6% S. aureus, 6.4% CNS, 6.4% Klebsiella spp., 5% Enterobacter spp. and 5% Pseudomonas spp. In 11 cases of NI no pathogen could be isolated.