American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Apr 2005
The attributable cost and length of hospital stay because of nosocomial pneumonia in intensive care units in 3 hospitals in Argentina: a prospective, matched analysis.
No information is available on the financial impact of nosocomial pneumonia in Argentina. To calculate the cost of nosocomial pneumonia in intensive care units, a 5-year, matched cohort study was undertaken at 3 hospitals in Argentina. ⋯ Nosocomial pneumonia results in significant patient morbidity and consumes considerable resources. In the present study, patients with nosocomial pneumonia had significant prolongation of hospitalization, cost, and a high extra mortality. The present study illustrates the potential cost savings of introducing interventions to reduce nosocomial pneumonia. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating this issue in Argentina.
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The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of ventriculostomy-associated infections (VAI) and to examine the related risk factors. ⋯ The risk of VAI increases with increasing duration of catheterization and with repeated insertions. The use of local antibiotic irrigation or systemic antibiotics does not appear to reduce the risk of VAI. Routine surveillance cultures of CSF were no more likely to detect infection than cultures obtained when clinically indicated. These findings need to be considered in infection control policies addressing this important issue.