Infection Control in Intensive Care Units

Infections acquired in the hospitals, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU) settings, ranging between 15% and 20%, may further lead to complications in >40% in critically ill patients. The order of incidence may vary in different settings, but the most usual causes are ventilator-associated pneumonia, intravascular catheter-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, posttraumatic intra-abdominal infection, and surgical site infection. These can be prevented by adequate and appropriate application of preventive strategies, which can be implemented strictly at the bedside. The basic norms for surveillance strategies, general preventive measures such as standard and isolation precautions and monitoring of antibiotic use should be followed without fail. Specific practical measures for ICU-related infections should be in place, and the monitoring of activities should be documented regularly as “bundle-care” in view of standardizing the practice, irrespective of place or person. Adequate attention, unfortunately, has not been paid for infection control measures in India for years. It is now mandatory that the essential practices are prioritized and integrated fully into regular hospital administrative procedure as a continuous process for improving quality health care.