American journal of infection control
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Treatment of cancer has contributed to a growing number of immunocompromised patients with life-threatening nosocomial infections (NI). High mortality with considerable cost is observed when they are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Few studies on infection control and surveillance have been undertaken in this population group. ⋯ The high rates reported in this study may reflect a combination of several factors related to the underlying illness, neutrophil count, and exposure to invasive procedures. The adjusted infection rates described here provide specific surveillance data for further interhospital comparisons and also to assess the influence of invasive medical interventions, allowing the implementation of preventable measures to control infections.