photo.jpg

# Nosocomial Infection ## Definition A hospital-acquired infection, also called a nosocomial infection, is an infection that first appears between 48 hours and four days after a patient is admitted to a hospital or other health-care facility. ## Causes All hospitalized patients are at risk of ac...

# Nosocomial Infection ## Definition A hospital-acquired infection, also called a nosocomial infection, is an infection that first appears between 48 hours and four days after a patient is admitted to a hospital or other health-care facility. ## Causes All hospitalized patients are at risk of acquiring an infection from their treatment or surgery. Some patients are at greater risk than others, especially young children, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems. The CDC shows that the overall infection rate among children in intensive care is 6.1%, with the primary causes being venous catheters and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The risk factors for hospital-acquired infections in children include parenteral nutrition (tube or intravenous feeding), the use of antibiotics for more than 10 days, use of invasive devices, poor postoperative status, and immune system dysfunction. Other risk factors that increase the opportunity for hospitalized adults and children to acquire infections are: - A prolonged hospital stay - Severity of underlying illness - Compromised nutritional or immune status - Use of indwelling catheters - Failure of health care workers to wash their hands between patients or before procedures - Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria form the overuse of antibiotics Any type of invasive (enters the body) procedure can expose a patient to the possibility of infection. Some common procedures that increase the risk of hospital-acquired infections include: - Urinary bladder catheterization - Respiratory procedures such as intubation or mechanical ventilation - Gastric drainage tubes into the stomach through the nose or mouth - Intravenous (IV) procedures for delivery of medication, transfusion, or nutrition ## Symptoms Fever is often the first sign of infection. Other symptoms and signs of infection are rapid breathing, mental confusion, low blood pressure, reduced urine output, and a high white blood cell count. Patients with a UTI may have pain when urinating and inability to couch. A localized infection begins with swelling, redness, and tenderness on the skin or around a surgical wound or other open wound, which can progress rapidly to the destruction of deeper layers of muscle tissue, and eventually sepsis.