Investigating the Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Nosocomial Bacterial Infections in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sari

Abstract

Background and purpose: Nosocomial infections are considered as a significant problem in medical centers, causing a high mortality rate among hospitalized patients, increasing the duration of hospitalization and treatment costs. Most nosocomial infections are caused by gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics through changing their genetics and structure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and pattern of antibiotic resistance of nosocomial bacterial infections at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, during 2019. Materials and methods: This retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study was performed at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari during 2019. All isolated positive samples were selected from hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance pattern was investigated using disk fusion method (Kirby-Bauer). Results: In this study, the most frequent nosocomial infection was observed in the intensive care unit (ICU), with respiratory infection (42%), as the most frequent one, caused by Escherichia coli (25%) with the highest resistance to ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: The findingins showed that gram-negative bacteria, more specifically those resistant to cephalosporins, are the most common cause of nosocomial infections. Irrational and imprudent prescription of cephalosporins and carbapenems may be a significant contributor to antibiotic resistance and the main challenge for treating.

Keywords

• prevalence
• antibiotic resistance
• nosocomial bacterial infections
• multiple drug resistance (mdr)