Abstract
BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in critical patients affect the quality and safety of patient care as they impact morbidity and mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in the incidence rate was reported worldwide. We aim to describe the incidence of HAI in the intensive care unit (ICU) during a 10-year follow-up period and compare the incidence during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of HAI in the medical-surgical ICU at The Cuban Hospital was conducted. The data collected include the annual incidence of HAI, its etiology, and antimicrobial resistance, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions, except for other respiratory tract infections (RTIs). RESULTS: A total of 155 patients had HAI, of which 130 (85.5%) were identified during COVID-19. The frequency of device-associated infections (DAI) and non-DAI was higher during COVID-19, except for Clostridium difficile infections. Etiology was frequently related to species of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas in both periods, and a higher frequency of Acinetobacter, Enterococcus, Candida, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was noted during the COVID-19 period. Device utilization ratio increased by 10.7% for central lines and 12.9% for ventilators, while a reduction of 15% in urinary catheter utilization ratio was observed. DAI incidence was higher during the COVID-19, with a 2.79 higher risk of infection (95% CI: 0.93-11.21; p < 0.0050), 15.31 (2.53-625.48), and 3.25 (0.68-31.08) for CLABSI, VAP, and CAUTI, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of DAI increased during the pandemic period as compared to the pre-pandemic period, and limited evidence of the impact on antimicrobial resistance was observed. The infection control program should evaluate strategies to minimize the impact of pandemics on HAI.