A three-year survey of nosocomial and community-acquired infections, antibiotic treatment and re-hospitalization in a Norwegian health region.

In Norway, hospital-acquired infections (HAI) were analysed by repeated point prevalence studies (four each year) performed simultaneously at 14 hospitals in a health region (860,000 inhabitants) during the period 1996-1998. The study included 3200 beds and 121,000 discharged patients each year, and was initiated by and co-ordinated from the regional university hospital; Ullevål University Hospital (UHH). An overall prevalence rate of HAI of 6.5% (interhospital variation 1.4-11.7%) was found for the 32,248 patients studied. The rate of HAI was reduced from 7.7% in 1996 to 5. 9% in 1998. Smaller hospitals (<200 beds) generally had lower rates of HAI, community acquired infections (CAI), postoperative infections and use of antibacterial agents, than the large regional hospital (1200 beds). HAI was reduced in non-operated patients from 5.8% in 1996 to 4.4% in 1998 and in operated patients from 13.2% in 1996 to 10.5% in 1998. The risk of developing HAI was twice as high after surgery. From 1996 to 1998 there was a reduction in: urinary tract infections from 2.4% to 1.7%, lower respiratory tract infections from 1.5% to 0.8% and postoperative wound infections from 5.7% to 4.3%, while septicaemia (from 0.5% to 0.4%) remained unchanged. Re-hospitalization because of HAI was registered in 0.6% (interhospital variation 0.3-1.1%) of patients. The CAI rate in hospitals increased from 8.3% in 1996 to 10.8% in 1998. Approximately 16% (variation:14.4-20.6%) of the patients had an infection. The total use of antibacterial agents was 19.2% in 1996, 16.6% in 1997 and 17.8% in 1998 (variation: 14.9-23%).

[Air quality and microbiologic contamination in operating theatres]. / Luftkvalitet og mikrobiologisk kontaminering i operasjonsstuer.

The present study concerns the air quality and microbiological contamination in two newly built operating theatres; one with laminar air flow (LAF) equipment for cardio-thoracic operations, and one with conventional ventilation for urological operations. Both theatres had an identical number of air exchanges (17/h), identical microclimatic conditions and they employed the same cleaning procedures. In the LAF-ventilated operating theatre bacterial contamination of the air was effectively reduced to less than 10 colony-forming units (CFU)/m3 in all 125 samples (1 m3 per sample) tested. In most samples, 118/125, the bacterial count was less than 5 CFU/m3, despite the presence of ten persons. The conventionally ventilated theatre reached values up to 120 CFU/m3 during the most active period of the day when approximately seven persons were present. The LAF ventilation reduced both the content of particles in the air and contamination by bacteria on the floor. In both theatres cleaning procedures had only a low impact on CFU in the air and on the floor. The use of diathermia markedly increased the level of small particles in the air, and this may influence the air quality in the operating theatres.