Prevalence of nosocomial infections in general hospitals in Belo Horizonte.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the magnitude of nosocomial infections (NI) in general hospitals of Belo Horizonte. DESIGN: Multicenter point-prevalence study of nosocomial infections. SETTING: All of the 11 general hospitals of Belo Horizonte that have more than 20 beds, from August 27 to October 5, 1992. RESULTS: Of the 2,339 patients surveyed, 267 patients had 328 nosocomial infections. The global prevalence rate of NI was 14.0%, ranging from 4.6% to 27.3% in the hospitals surveyed. The most prevalent infections were found to be pneumonia and surgical-wound infections, representing 19.5% and 19.2%, respectively, of the total infections. The highest prevalence rates of NI were observed in the cardiac surgery (31.9%), pediatric (27.2%), and orthopedic (20.7%) services. The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas species, and Klebsiella species. CONCLUSION: The study allowed a thorough evaluation of the NI distribution profile in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and showed it to be a serious public health problem that requires interinstitutional efforts so that effective action can be taken.