article · Access Microbiology
Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a major cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. This retrospective case-control study examined the epidemiology and risk factors linked to acquiring the bacterium within two intensive care units at a hospital in Rabat over a three-month period. Analysing 180 patients, including 60 with confirmed infections, the investigation evaluated patient characteristics and clinical interventions. The findings indicate that prolonged use of invasive procedures, mechanical ventilation, and parenteral nutrition significantly increase the risk of infection. Furthermore, specific clinical conditions such as underlying neoplastic disease and prolonged probabilistic antibiotic treatments, alongside the use of antibiotics like imipenem and colistin, were strongly associated with higher infection rates. The results demonstrate that controlling hospital stays, managing medical device usage rationally, and refining antibiotic regimens could help reduce the incidence of these infections.
Hospital-acquired bacterial infections pose serious threats to critically ill patients and place heavy burdens on healthcare systems. Identifying precise clinical triggers, such as specific medical devices and prolonged drug regimens, helps hospitals refine infection control protocols. By highlighting which practices escalate risk, clinical teams can adapt routine care to better protect vulnerable intensive care patients from opportunistic hospital pathogens.
The findings can inform hospital management protocols and the development of clinical decision-support software aimed at infection prevention in intensive care settings. Potential users include hospital administrators, intensive care teams, and healthcare software providers seeking evidence-based parameters for patient-monitoring tools. Because this study represents retrospective clinical observational research rather than product development, direct commercial applications remain at an early, conceptual stage.
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Introduction. Acinetobacter species are non-fermenting and ubiquitous Gram-negative coccobacilli, which in recent years have become the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Our objective here was to study the epidemiology and risk factors associated with Acinetobacter baumannii infections in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods. This retrospective case-control study was conducted collaboratively between the Medical Bacteriology Department and the two ICUs of the Military Hospital of Instruction Mohammed V-Rabat over a 3 month period. Results. We included 180 patients, of whom 60 had A. baumannii infection. We observed a male predominance in both matched groups, with a sex ratio of 1.6. The median age was 67 years [interquartile range (IQR) 59.5–77]. The median length of stay in the ICU before infection was 8.5 days (IQR 5–14). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the risk factors statistically associated with A. baumannii infection at the ICU level as follows: duration of invasive procedures >7 days [odds ratio (OR)=1.02], parenteral nutrition (OR=3.514), mechanical ventilation (OR=3.024), imipenem (OR=18.72), colistin (OR=5.645), probabilistic antibiotic therapy >4 days (OR=9.063) and neoplastic pathology (OR=5.727). Conclusion. Based on our results, it can be inferred that shortening the duration of stay in the resuscitation setting, implementing rational use of medical devices and optimizing antibiotic therapy could decrease the incidence of these infections.
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DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000637.v3
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