Conclusion
shorter hospitalization times and increased surveillance of patients undergoing surgery could play a decisive role in reducing the spread of carbapenem-resistant microorganisms in hospital settings.
Methods
exploratory case-control study performed in hospital settings. The study sample consisted of patients with biological specimens that tested positive for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (cases), with the disk diffusion test and Etest, and controls with biological samples testing negative for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. In all, 65 patients were included: 13 (20%) cases and 52 (80%) controls.
Objective
to identify possible risk factors for acquisition of Enterobacterial strains with a marker for resistance to carbapenems.
Results
the microorganisms isolated were Serratia marcescens (6), Klebsiella pneumoniae (4), and Enterobacter cloacae (3). Univariate analysis revealed that length of hospitalization prior to sample collection (p=0.002) and having a surgical procedure (p=0.006) were statistically significant. In the multivariable logistic regression model, both were still significant, with odds ratios of 0.93 (p = 0.009; 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.98) for length of hospitalization prior to sample collection, and 9.28 (p = 0.05; 95% CI: 1.01 to 85.14) for having a surgical procedure.