The Netherlands journal of medicine
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Observational Study
Burden of highly resistant microorganisms in a Dutch intensive care unit.
The occurrence of highly resistant microorganisms (HRMOs) is a major threat to critical care patients, leading to worse outcomes, need for isolation measures, and demand for second-line or rescue antibiotics. The aim of this study was to quantify the burden of HRMOs in an intensive care unit (ICU) for adult patients in a university hospital in the Netherlands. We evaluated local distribution of different HRMO categories and proportion of ICU-imported versus ICU- acquired HRMOs. Outcome of HRMO-positive patients versuscontrols was compared. ⋯ Our study suggests that a large part of antibiotic resistance in the ICU is imported. This underscores the importance of a robust surveillance and infection control program throughout the hospital, and implies that better recognition of those at risk for HRMO carriage before ICU admission may be worthwhile. Only a small minority of patients with HRMO at admission did not have any known risk factors for HRMO.