The impact of COVID-19 on health care-associated infections in intensive care units in low- and middle-income countries: International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) findings.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care-associated infection (HAI) incidence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Patients from 7 LMICs were followed up during hospital intensive care unit (ICU) stays from January 2019 to May 2020. HAI rates were calculated using the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Surveillance Online System applying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) criteria. Pre-COVID-19 rates for 2019 were compared with COVID-19 era rates for 2020 for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), ventilator-associated events (VAEs), mortality, and length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: A total of 7,775 patients were followed up for 49,506 bed days. The 2019 to 2020 rate comparisons were 2.54 and 4.73 CLABSIs per 1,000 central line days (risk ratio [RR] = 1.85, p = .0006), 9.71 and 12.58 VAEs per 1,000 mechanical ventilator days (RR = 1.29, p = .10), and 1.64 and 1.43 CAUTIs per 1,000 urinary catheter days (RR = 1.14; p = .69). Mortality rates were 15.2% and 23.2% for 2019 and 2020 (RR = 1.42; p < .0001), respectively. Mean LOS for 2019 and 2020 were 6.02 and 7.54 days (RR = 1.21, p < .0001), respectively. DISCUSSION: This study documents an increase in HAI rates in 7 LMICs during the first 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the need to reprioritize and return to conventional infection prevention practices.

Multicenter study of device-associated infection rates in hospitals of Mongolia: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).

BACKGROUND: To report the results of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) multicenter study conducted in Mongolia from September 2013-March 2015. METHODS: A device-associated health care-associated infection prospective surveillance study in 3 adult intensive care units (ICUs) from 3 hospitals using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions and INICC methods. RESULTS: We documented 467 ICU patients for 2,133 bed days. The central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate was 19.7 per 1,000 central line days, the ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate was 43.7 per 1,000 mechanical ventilator days, and the catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rate was 15.7 per 1,000 urinary catheter days; all of the rates are higher than the INICC rates (CLABSI: 4.9; VAP: 16.5; and CAUTI: 5.3) and CDC-NHSN rates (CLABSI: 0.8; VAP: 1.1; and CAUTI: 1.3). Device use ratios were also higher than the CDC-NHSN and INICC ratios, except for the mechanical ventilator device use ratio, which was lower than the INICC ratio. Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to oxacillin was 100%. Extra length of stay was 15.1 days for patients with CLABSI, 7.8 days for patients with VAP, and 8.2 days for patients with CAUTI. Extra crude mortality in the ICUs was 18.6% for CLABSI, 17.1% for VAP, and 5.1% for CAUTI. CONCLUSION: Device-associated health care-associated infection rates and most device use ratios in our Mongolian hospitals' ICUs are higher than the CDC-NSHN and INICC rates.