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Objectives: This review by a panel of experts convened by the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) aims to consolidate current recommendations for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). It provides insights into VAP rates, the attributable extra length of stay, costs, mortality, and risk factors in high-income and low- and middle-income countries., Methods: A comprehensive review of existing recommendations and evidence-based strategies for preventing VAP was conducted. The expert panel analyzed data on VAP incidence, associated healthcare burdens, and risk factors across different economic settings to formulate applicable preventive measures., Results: The review identifies significant differences in VAP rates, healthcare costs, extra length of hospital stay, and mortality between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Evidence-based strategies for preventing VAP were highlighted, demonstrating their effectiveness across different healthcare settings., Conclusions: The recommendations and insights provided in this position paper aim to guide healthcare professionals in effectively preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. The adoption of evidence-based preventive strategies can potentially reduce VAP rates, and associated costs, and improve patient outcomes in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objectives: This review, conducted by a panel of experts assembled by the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), seeks to consolidate the latest recommendations for preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). It offers insights into CAUTI rates, the associated extended hospital stays, costs, mortality, and risk factors across both high-income and low- to middle-income countries., Methods: An in-depth review of current recommendations and evidence-based strategies for CAUTI prevention was undertaken. To develop practical preventive measures, the expert panel examined data on CAUTI incidence, related healthcare impacts, and risk factors across various economic contexts., Results: The review highlights notable differences in CAUTI rates, healthcare costs, extended hospital stays, and mortality between high-income and low- to middle-income countries. It emphasizes evidence-based strategies for CAUTI prevention, demonstrating their effectiveness across diverse healthcare environments., Conclusions: This position paper offers recommendations and insights intended to assist healthcare professionals in effectively preventing CAUTI. Implementing evidence-based preventive strategies has the potential to lower CAUTI rates, reduce related costs, and enhance patient outcomes in both high-income and low- to middle-income countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors report no conflicts of interest related to this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A panel of experts convened by the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) has reviewed and consolidated current recommendations for preventing vascular catheter infections, particularly central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). This review provides healthcare professionals with insights into key issues such as the rates of CLABSI in high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries, the attributable extra length of stay, cost and mortality, and risk factors. This position paper highlights evidence-based strategies for preventing infections, applicable to both high-income and low- and middle-income countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors report no conflicts of interest related to this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) rates are higher in low-resource countries (LRC) than in high-income counterparts., Methods: Prospective cohort study using the INICC Surveillance Online System, from 116 hospitals in 75 cities across 25 Latin-American, Asian, Eastern-European, and Middle-Eastern countries: Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam. CDC/NHSN definitions were applied. Surgical procedures (SPs) were categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases criteria., Results: From 2014 to 2023, we collected data on 1,251 SSIs associated with 56,617 SPs. SSI rates were significantly higher in SPs of INICC compared to CDC/NHSN data: hip prosthesis (3.68% vs 0.67%, relative risk [RR]=5.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.71-8.03, P<.001), knee prosthesis (2.02% vs 0.58%, RR=3.49, 95% CI=1.87-6.49, P<.001), coronary artery bypass (4.16% vs 1.37%, RR=3.03, 95% CI=2.35-3.91, P<.001), peripheral vascular bypass (15.69% vs 2.93%, RR=5.35, 95% CI=2.30-12.48, P<.001), abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (8.51% vs 2.12%, RR=4.02, 95% CI=2.11-7.65, P<.001), spinal fusion (6.47% vs 0.70%, RR=9.27, 95% CI=6.21-13.84, P<.001), laminectomy (2.68% vs 0.72%, RR=3.75, 95% CI=2.36-5.95, P<.001), among others., Conclusions: Elevated SSI rates in LRCs emphasize the need for effective interventions., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Reporting on the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium study results from 2015 to 2020, conducted in 630 intensive care units across 123 cities in 45 countries spanning Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East., Methods: Prospective intensive care unit patient data collected via International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium Surveillance Online System. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Health Care Safety Network definitions applied for device-associated health care-associated infections (DA-HAI)., Results: We gathered data from 204,770 patients, 1,480,620 patient days, 936,976 central line (CL)-days, 637,850 mechanical ventilators (MV)-days, and 1,005,589 urinary catheter (UC)-days. Our results showed 4,270 CL-associated bloodstream infections, 7,635 ventilator-associated pneumonia, and 3,005 UC-associated urinary tract infections. The combined rates of DA-HAIs were 7.28%, and 10.07 DA-HAIs per 1,000 patient days. CL-associated bloodstream infections occurred at 4.55 per 1,000 CL-days, ventilator-associated pneumonias at 11.96 per 1,000 MV-days, and UC-associated urinary tract infections at 2.91 per 1,000 UC days. In terms of resistance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed 50.73% resistance to imipenem, 44.99% to ceftazidime, 37.95% to ciprofloxacin, and 34.05% to amikacin. Meanwhile, Klebsiella spp had resistance rates of 48.29% to imipenem, 72.03% to ceftazidime, 61.78% to ciprofloxacin, and 40.32% to amikacin. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus displayed oxacillin resistance in 81.33% and 53.83% of cases, respectively., Conclusions: The high rates of DA-HAI and bacterial resistance emphasize the ongoing need for continued efforts to control them., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Our objective was to identify central line (CL)-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) rates and risk factors (RF) in Asia., Methods: From 03/27/2004 to 02/11/2022, we conducted a multinational multicenter prospective cohort study in 281 ICUs of 95 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 Asian countries (China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam). For estimation of CLABSI rate we used CL-days as denominator and number of CLABSI as numerator. To estimate CLABSI RF for we analyzed the data using multiple logistic regression, and outcomes are shown as adjusted odds ratios (aOR)., Results: A total of 150,142 patients, hospitalized 853,604 days, acquired 1514 CLABSIs. Pooled CLABSI rate per 1000 CL-days was 5.08; per type of catheter were: femoral: 6.23; temporary hemodialysis: 4.08; jugular: 4.01; arterial: 3.14; PICC: 2.47; subclavian: 2.02. The highest rates were femoral, temporary for hemodialysis, and jugular, and the lowest PICC and subclavian. We analyzed following variables: Gender, age, length of stay (LOS) before CLABSI acquisition, CL-days before CLABSI acquisition, CL-device utilization ratio, CL-type, tracheostomy use, hospitalization type, ICU type, facility ownership and World Bank classifications by income level. Following were independently associated with CLABSI: LOS before CLABSI acquisition, rising risk 4% daily (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.03-1.04; p  < 0.0001); number of CL-days before CLABSI acquisition, rising risk 5% per CL-day (aOR = 1.05; 95% CI 1.05-1.06; p  < 0.0001); medical hospitalization (aOR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.04-1.39; p  = 0.01); tracheostomy use (aOR = 2.02;95% CI 1.43-2.86; p  < 0.0001); publicly-owned facility (aOR = 3.63; 95% CI 2.54-5.18; p  < 0.0001); lower-middle-income country (aOR = 1.87; 95% CI 1.41-2.47; p  < 0.0001). ICU with highest risk was pediatric (aOR = 2.86; 95% CI 1.71-4.82; p  < 0.0001), followed by medical-surgical (aOR = 2.46; 95% CI 1.62-3.75; p  < 0.0001). CL with the highest risk were internal-jugular (aOR = 3.32; 95% CI 2.84-3.88; p  < 0.0001), and femoral (aOR = 3.13; 95% CI 2.48-3.95; p  < 0.0001), and subclavian (aOR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.47-2.15; p  < 0.0001) showed the lowest risk., Conclusions: The following CLABSI RFs are unlikely to change: country income level, facility-ownership, hospitalization type, and ICU type. Based on these findings it is suggested to focus on reducing LOS, CL-days, and tracheostomy; using subclavian or PICC instead of internal-jugular or femoral; and implementing evidence-based CLABSI prevention recommendations., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: All authors declare that don’t have any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. All authors declare that don’t have potential competing interests, such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Submission of this article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Background: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) frequently occur in the intensive care unit (ICU) and are correlated with a significant burden., Methods: We implemented a strategy involving a 9-element bundle, education, surveillance of CAUTI rates and clinical outcomes, monitoring compliance with bundle components, feedback of CAUTI rates and performance feedback. This was executed in 299 ICUs across 32 low- and middle-income countries. The dependent variable was CAUTI per 1,000 UC days, assessed at baseline and throughout the intervention, in the second month, third month, 4 to 15 months, 16 to 27 months, and 28 to 39 months. Comparisons were made using a 2-sample t test, and the exposure-outcome relationship was explored using a generalized linear mixed model with a Poisson distribution., Results: Over the course of 978,364 patient days, 150,258 patients utilized 652,053 UC-days. The rates of CAUTI per 1,000 UC days were measured. The rates decreased from 14.89 during the baseline period to 5.51 in the second month (risk ratio [RR] = 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34-0.39; P < .001), 3.79 in the third month (RR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.23-0.28; P < .001), 2.98 in the 4 to 15 months (RR = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.18-0.22; P < .001), 1.86 in the 16 to 27 months (RR = 0.12; 95% CI = 0.11-0.14; P < .001), and 1.71 in the 28 to 39 months (RR = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.09-0.13; P < .001)., Conclusions: Our intervention, without substantial costs or additional staffing, achieved an 89% reduction in CAUTI incidence in ICUs across 32 countries, demonstrating feasibility in ICUs of low- and middle-income countries., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Central line (CL)-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common and associated with a high burden., Methods: We implemented a multidimensional approach, incorporating an 11-element bundle, education, surveillance of CLABSI rates and clinical outcomes, monitoring compliance with bundle components, feedback of CLABSI rates and clinical outcomes, and performance feedback in 316 ICUs across 30 low- and middle-income countries. Our dependent variables were CLABSI per 1,000-CL-days and in-ICU all-cause mortality rates. These variables were measured at baseline and during the intervention, specifically during the second month, third month, 4 to 16 months, and 17 to 29 months. Comparisons were conducted using a two-sample t test. To explore the exposure-outcome relationship, we used a generalized linear mixed model with a Poisson distribution to model the number of CLABSIs., Results: During 1,837,750 patient-days, 283,087 patients, used 1,218,882 CL-days. CLABSI per 1,000 CL-days rates decreased from 15.34 at the baseline period to 7.97 in the 2nd month (relative risk (RR) = 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.48-0.56; P < .001), 5.34 in the 3rd month (RR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.32-0.38; P < .001), and 2.23 in the 17 to 29 months (RR = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.13-0.17; P < .001). In-ICU all-cause mortality rate decreased from 16.17% at baseline to 13.68% (RR = 0.84; P = .0013) at 17 to 29 months., Conclusions: The implemented approach was effective, and a similar intervention could be applied in other ICUs of low- and middle-income countries to reduce CLABSI and in-ICU all-cause mortality rates., (Copyright © 2023 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify urinary catheter (UC)-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors., Design: A prospective cohort study., Setting: The study was conducted across 623 ICUs of 224 hospitals in 114 cities in 37 African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries., Participants: The study included 169,036 patients, hospitalized for 1,166,593 patient days., Methods: Data collection took place from January 1, 2014, to February 12, 2022. We identified CAUTI rates per 1,000 UC days and UC device utilization (DU) ratios stratified by country, by ICU type, by facility ownership type, by World Bank country classification by income level, and by UC type. To estimate CAUTI risk factors, we analyzed 11 variables using multiple logistic regression., Results: Participant patients acquired 2,010 CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate was 2.83 per 1,000 UC days. The highest CAUTI rate was associated with the use of suprapubic catheters (3.93 CAUTIs per 1,000 UC days); with patients hospitalized in Eastern Europe (14.03) and in Asia (6.28); with patients hospitalized in trauma (7.97), neurologic (6.28), and neurosurgical ICUs (4.95); with patients hospitalized in lower-middle-income countries (3.05); and with patients in public hospitals (5.89).The following variables were independently associated with CAUTI: Age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.01; P < .0001), female sex (aOR, 1.39; P < .0001), length of stay (LOS) before CAUTI-acquisition (aOR, 1.05; P < .0001), UC DU ratio (aOR, 1.09; P < .0001), public facilities (aOR, 2.24; P < .0001), and neurologic ICUs (aOR, 11.49; P < .0001)., Conclusions: CAUTI rates are higher in patients with suprapubic catheters, in middle-income countries, in public hospitals, in trauma and neurologic ICUs, and in Eastern European and Asian facilities.Based on findings regarding risk factors for CAUTI, focus on reducing LOS and UC utilization is warranted, as well as implementing evidence-based CAUTI-prevention recommendations.

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common, costly, and potentially lethal., Methods: We implemented a multidimensional approach and an 8-component bundle in 374 ICUs across 35 low and middle-income countries (LMICs) from Latin-America, Asia, Eastern-Europe, and the Middle-East, to reduce VAP rates in ICUs. The VAP rate per 1000 mechanical ventilator (MV)-days was measured at baseline and during intervention at the 2nd month, 3rd month, 4-15 month, 16-27 month, and 28-39 month periods., Results: 174,987 patients, during 1,201,592 patient-days, used 463,592 MV-days. VAP per 1000 MV-days rates decreased from 28.46 at baseline to 17.58 at the 2nd month (RR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.58-0.65; P < 0.001); 13.97 at the 3rd month (RR = 0.49; 95% CI = 0.46-0.52; P < 0.001); 14.44 at the 4-15 month (RR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.48-0.53; P < 0.001); 11.40 at the 16-27 month (RR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.38-0.42; P < 0.001), and to 9.68 at the 28-39 month (RR = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.32-0.36; P < 0.001). The multilevel Poisson regression model showed a continuous significant decrease in incidence rate ratios, reaching 0.39 (p < 0.0001) during the 28th to 39th months after implementation of the intervention., Conclusions: This intervention resulted in a significant VAP rate reduction by 66% that was maintained throughout the 39-month period., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare that don't have any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. All authors declare that don't have potential competing interests, such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Submission of this article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in intensive care units (ICUs) across Latin America exceed those in high-income countries significantly., Methods: We implemented the INICC multidimensional approach, incorporating an 11-component bundle, in 122 ICUs spanning nine Asian countries. We computed the CLABSI rate using the CDC/NSHN definition and criteria. The CLABSI rate per 1000 CL-days was calculated at baseline and throughout different phases of the intervention, including the 2nd month, 3rd month, 4-16 month, and 17-29 month periods. A two-sample t -test was employed to compare baseline CLABSI rates with intervention rates. Additionally, we utilized a generalized linear mixed model with a Poisson distribution to analyze the association between exposure and outcome., Results: A total of 124,946 patients were hospitalized over 717,270 patient-days, with 238,595 central line (CL)-days recorded. The rates of CLABSI per 1000 CL-days significantly decreased from 16.64 during the baseline period to 6.51 in the 2nd month (RR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.36-0.42; p  < 0.001), 3.71 in the 3rd month (RR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.21-0.25; p  < 0.001), 2.80 in the 4-16 month (RR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.15-0.19; p  < 0.001), and 2.18 in the 17-29 month (RR = 0.13; 95% CI = 0.11-0.15; p  < 0.001) intervals. A multilevel Poisson regression model demonstrated a sustained, continuous, and statistically significant decrease in ratios of incidence rates, reaching 0.35 ( p  < 0.0001) during the 17-29 month period. Moreover, the all-cause in-ICU mortality rate significantly decreased from 13.23% to 10.96% ( p  = 0.0001) during the 17-29 month period., Conclusions: Our intervention led to an 87% reduction in CLABSI rates, with a 29-month follow-up., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Identify urinary catheter (UC)-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors (RF) in 235 ICUs in 8 Asian countries: India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam., Methods: From January 1, 2014, to February 12, 2022, we conducted a prospective cohort study. To estimate CAUTI incidence, the number of UC days was the denominator, and CAUTI was the numerator. To estimate CAUTI RFs, we analyzed 11 variables using multiple logistic regression., Results: 84,920 patients hospitalized for 499,272 patient days acquired 869 CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate per 1,000 UC-days was 3.08; for those using suprapubic-catheters (4.11); indwelling-catheters (2.65); trauma-ICU (10.55), neurologic-ICU (7.17), neurosurgical-ICU (5.28); in lower-middle-income countries (3.05); in upper-middle-income countries (1.71); at public-hospitals (5.98), at private-hospitals (3.09), at teaching-hospitals (2.04). The following variables were identified as CAUTI RFs: Age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.01-1.02; P < .0001); female sex (aOR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.21-1.59; P < .0001); using suprapubic-catheter (aOR = 4.72; 95% CI = 1.69-13.21; P < .0001); length of stay before CAUTI acquisition (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.04-1.05; P < .0001); UC and device utilization-ratio (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.01-1.13; P = .02); hospitalized at trauma-ICU (aOR = 14.12; 95% CI = 4.68-42.67; P < .0001), neurologic-ICU (aOR = 14.13; 95% CI = 6.63-30.11; P < .0001), neurosurgical-ICU (aOR = 13.79; 95% CI = 6.88-27.64; P < .0001); public-facilities (aOR = 3.23; 95% CI = 2.34-4.46; P < .0001)., Discussion: CAUTI rate and risk are higher for older patients, women, hospitalized at trauma-ICU, neurologic-ICU, neurosurgical-ICU, and public facilities. All of them are unlikely to change., Conclusions: It is suggested to focus on reducing the length of stay and the Urinary catheter device utilization ratio, avoiding suprapubic catheters, and implementing evidence-based CAUTI prevention recommendations., (Copyright © 2023 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Identify urinary catheter (UC)-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors (RF) in Latin American Countries., Methods: From 01/01/2014 to 02/10/2022, we conducted a prospective cohort study in 145 ICUs of 67 hospitals in 35 cities in nine Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Peru. To estimate CAUTI incidence, we used the number of UC-days as the denominator, and the number of CAUTIs as numerator. To estimate CAUTI RFs, we analyzed the following 10 variables using multiple logistic regression: gender, age, length of stay (LOS) before CAUTI acquisition, UC-days before CAUTI acquisition, UC-device utilization (DU) ratio, UC-type, hospitalizationtype, ICU type, facility ownership, and time period., Results: 31,631 patients, hospitalized for 214,669 patient-days, acquired 305 CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate per 1000 UC-days was 2.58, for those using suprapubic catheters, it was 2.99, and for those with indwelling catheters, it was 2.21. The following variables were independently associated with CAUTI: age, rising risk 1% yearly (aOR = 1.01; 95% CI 1.01-1.02; p < 0.0001 female gender (aOR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.01-1.61; p = 0.04), LOS before CAUTI acquisition, rising risk 7% daily (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.06-1.08; p < 0.0001, UC/DU ratio (aOR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.08-1.21; p < 0.0001, public facilities (aOR = 2.89; 95% CI 1.75-4.49; p < 0.0001. The periods 2014-2016 and 2017-2019 had significantly higher risks than the period 2020-2022. Suprapubic catheters showed similar risks as indwelling catheters., Conclusion: The following CAUTI RFs are unlikely to change: age, gender, hospitalization type, and facility ownership. Based on these findings, it is suggested to focus on reducing LOS, UC/DU ratio, and implementing evidence-based CAUTI prevention recommendations., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: To identify urinary catheter (UC)-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors (RF) in nine Middle Eastern countries., Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study between 1 January 2014 and 2 December 2022 in 212 intensive care units (ICUs) of 67 hospitals in 38 cities in nine Middle Eastern countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE). To estimate CAUTI incidence, we used the number of UC days as denominator and the number of CAUTIs as numerator. To estimate CAUTI RFs, we analyzed the following 10 variables using multiple logistic regression: patient sex, age, length of stay (LOS) before CAUTI acquisition, UC-days before CAUTI acquisition, UC-device utilization (DU) ratio, hospitalization type, ICU type, facility-ownership, country income level classified by World Bank, and time period., Results: Among 50 637 patients hospitalized for 434 523 patient days, there were 580 cases of acquired CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate per 1000 UC days was 1.84. The following variables were independently associated with CAUTI: age, rising risk 1.0% yearly (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02; p < 0.0001); female sex (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.09-1.56; p < 0.0001); LOS before CAUTI acquisition, rising risk 6.0% daily (aOR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.05-1.06; p < 0.0001); and UC/DU ratio (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06-1.14; p < 0.0001). Patients from lower-middle-income countries (aOR = 4.11, 95% CI: 2.49-6.76; p < 0.0001) had a similar CAUTI risk to the upper-middle countries (aOR = 3.75, 95% CI: 1.83-7.68; p < 0.0001). The type of ICU with the highest risk for CAUTI was neurologic ICU (aOR = 27.35, 95% CI: 23.03-33.12; p < 0.0001), followed by medical ICU (aOR = 6.18, 95% CI: 2.07-18.53; p < 0.0001) when compared to cardiothoracic ICU. The periods 2014-2016 (aOR = 7.36, 95% CI: 5.48-23.96; p < 0.001) and 2017-2019 (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI: 3.46-15.61; p < 0.001) had a similar risk to each other, but a higher risk compared to 2020-2022., Conclusions: The following CAUTI RFs are unlikely to change: age, sex, ICU type, and country income level. Based on these findings, it is suggested to focus on reducing LOS, UC/DU ratio, and implementing evidence-based CAUTI prevention recommendations., (Copyright © 2023, Oman Medical Journal.)

Background: Our objective was to identify central line (CL)-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) rates and risk factors in Latin-America., Methods: From January 1, 2014 to February 10, 2022, we conducted a multinational multicenter prospective cohort study in 58 ICUs of 34 hospitals in 21 cities in 8 Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama). We applied multiple-logistic regression. Outcomes are shown as adjusted-odds ratios (aOR)., Results: About 29,385 patients were hospitalized during 92,956 days, acquired 400 CLABSIs, and pooled CLABSI rate was 4.30 CLABSIs per 1,000 CL-days. We analyzed following 10 variables: Gender, age, length of stay (LOS) before CLABSI acquisition, CL-days before CLABSI acquisition, CL-device utilization (DU) ratio, CL-type, tracheostomy use, hospitalization type, intensive care unit (ICU) type, and facility ownership, Following variables were independently associated with CLABSI: LOS before CLABSI acquisition, rising risk 3% daily (aOR=1.03;95%CI=1.02-1.04; P < .0001); number of CL-days before CLABSI acquisition, rising risk 4% per CL-day (aOR=1.04;95%CI=1.03-1.05; P < .0001); publicly-owned facility (aOR=2.33;95%CI=1.79-3.02; P < .0001). ICU with highest risk was medical-surgical (aOR=2.61;95%CI=1.41-4.81; P < .0001). CL with the highest risk were femoral (aOR=2.71;95%CI=1.61-4.55; P < .0001), and internal-jugular (aOR=2.62;95%CI=1.82-3.79; P < .0001). PICC (aOR=1.25;95%CI=0.63-2.51; P = .52) was not associated with CLABSI risk., Conclusions: Based on these findings it is suggested to focus on reducing LOS, CL-days, using PICC instead of femoral or internal-jugular; and implementing evidence-based CLABSI prevention recommendations., (Copyright © 2023 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify risk factors for mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) in Asia., Design: Prospective cohort study., Setting: The study included 317 ICUs of 96 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 countries of Asia: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam., Participants: Patients aged >18 years admitted to ICUs., Results: In total, 157,667 patients were followed during 957,517 patient days, and 8,157 HAIs occurred. In multiple logistic regression, the following variables were associated with an increased mortality risk: central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI; aOR, 2.36; P < .0001), ventilator-associated event (VAE; aOR, 1.51; P < .0001), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI; aOR, 1.04; P < .0001), and female sex (aOR, 1.06; P < .0001). Older age increased mortality risk by 1% per year (aOR, 1.01; P < .0001). Length of stay (LOS) increased mortality risk by 1% per bed day (aOR, 1.01; P < .0001). Central-line days increased mortality risk by 2% per central-line day (aOR, 1.02; P < .0001). Urinary catheter days increased mortality risk by 4% per urinary catheter day (aOR, 1.04; P < .0001). The highest mortality risks were associated with mechanical ventilation utilization ratio (aOR, 12.48; P < .0001), upper middle-income country (aOR, 1.09; P = .033), surgical hospitalization (aOR, 2.17; P < .0001), pediatric oncology ICU (aOR, 9.90; P < .0001), and adult oncology ICU (aOR, 4.52; P < .0001). Patients at university hospitals had the lowest mortality risk (aOR, 0.61; P < .0001)., Conclusions: Some variables associated with an increased mortality risk are unlikely to change, such as age, sex, national economy, hospitalization type, and ICU type. Some other variables can be modified, such as LOS, central-line use, urinary catheter use, and mechanical ventilation as well as and acquisition of CLABSI, VAE, or CAUTI. To reduce mortality risk, we shall focus on strategies to reduce LOS; strategies to reduce central-line, urinary catheter, and mechanical ventilation use; and HAI prevention recommendations.

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) rates in Asia are several times above those of US. The objective of this study is to identify VAP risk factors., Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study, between March 27, 2004 and November 2, 2022, in 279 ICUs of 95 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 Asian countries (China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam)., Results: 153,717 patients, followed during 892,996 patient-days, acquired 3,369 VAPs. We analyzed 10 independent variables. Using multiple logistic regression we identified following independent VAP RFs= Age, rising VAP risk 1% per year (aOR=1.01; 95%CI=1.00-1.01, P<.0001); male gender (OR=1.17; 95%CI=1.08-1.26, P<.0001); length of stay, rising VAP risk 7% daily (aOR=1.07; 95%CI=1.06-1.07, P<.0001); mechanical ventilation (MV) device utilization (DU) ratio (OR=1.43; 95%CI=1.36-1.51; p<.0001); tracheostomy connected to a MV (OR=11.17; 95%CI=9.55-14.27; p<.0001); public (OR=1.84; 95%CI=1.49-2.26, P<.0001), and private (OR=1.57; 95%CI=1.29-1.91, P<.0001) compared with teaching hospitals; upper-middle income country (OR=1.86; 95%CI=1.63-2.14, P<.0001). Regarding ICUs, Medical-Surgical (OR=4.61; 95%CI=3.43-6.17; P<.0001), Neurologic (OR=3.76; 95%CI=2.43-5.82; P<.0001), Medical (OR=2.78; 95%CI=2.04-3.79; P<.0001), and Neuro-Surgical (OR=2.33; 95%CI=1.61-3.92; P<.0001) showed the highest risk., Conclusions: Some identified VAP RFs are unlikely to change= age, gender, ICU type, facility ownership, country income level. Based on our results, we recommend limit use of tracheostomy, reducing LOS, reducing the MV/DU ratio, and implementing an evidence-based set of VAP prevention recommendations., (Copyright © 2022 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Estimating and analyzing trends and patterns of health loss are essential to promote efficient resource allocation and improve Peru's healthcare system performance., Methods: Using estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (2019), we assessed mortality and disability in Peru from 1990 to 2019. We report demographic and epidemiologic trends in terms of population, life expectancy at birth (LE), mortality, incidence, prevalence, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) caused by the major diseases and risk factors in Peru. Finally, we compared Peru with 16 countries in the Latin American (LA) region., Results: The Peruvian population reached 33.9 million inhabitants (49.9% women) in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, LE at birth increased from 69.2 (95% uncertainty interval 67.8-70.3) to 80.3 (77.2-83.2) years. This increase was driven by the decline in under-5 mortality (-80.7%) and mortality from infectious diseases in older age groups (+60 years old). The number of DALYs in 1990 was 9.2 million (8.5-10.1) and reached 7.5 million (6.1-9.0) in 2019. The proportion of DALYs due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increased from 38.2% in 1990 to 67.9% in 2019. The all-ages and age-standardized DALYs rates and YLLs rates decreased, but YLDs rates remained constant. In 2019, the leading causes of DALYs were neonatal disorders, lower respiratory infections (LRIs), ischemic heart disease, road injuries, and low back pain. The leading risk factors associated with DALYs in 2019 were undernutrition, high body mass index, high fasting plasma glucose, and air pollution. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Peru experienced one of the highest LRIs-DALYs rates in the LA region., Conclusion: In the last three decades, Peru experienced significant improvements in LE and child survival and an increase in the burden of NCDs and associated disability. The Peruvian healthcare system must be redesigned to respond to this epidemiological transition. The new design should aim to reduce premature deaths and maintain healthy longevity, focusing on effective coverage and treatment of NCDs and reducing and managing the related disability., Competing Interests: CB participation on a data safety monitoring board for COVID-out: Metformin and other COVID treatment study and is a member of the American Heart Association Epidemiology Leadership committee, outside the submitted work. LC-H is an employee of the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Mexico and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. S Cortes reports support for the present manuscript from Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigacion en Areas Prioritarias (FONDAP) (grant number 15130011). VG reports grants or contracts from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia, paid directly to their institution, outside the submitted work. FK reports grants or contracts from Belgian Directorate of Development Cooperation (DGD) through the Framework Agreement between the Belgian DGD and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium; Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health and the University of California Global Health Institute under Award Number D43TW009343; Fogarty International Center, and National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43 TW009763, outside the submitted work. WM is a United Nations Population Fund staff at the Peru Country Office, which does not necessarily endorse these results. JM reports grants from Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (HQHSR1206660), Bloomberg Philanthropies (grant 46129, via University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health), FONDECYT via CIENCIACTIVA/CONCYTEC, British Council, British Embassy and the Newton-Paulet Fund (223-2018, 224-2018), DFID/MRC/Wellcome Global Health Trials (MR/M007405/1), Fogarty International Center (R21TW009982, D71TW010877, R21TW011740), Grand Challenges Canada (0335–04), International Development Research Center Canada (IDRC 106887, 108167), Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI CRN3036), National Cancer Institute (1P20CA217231), National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (HHSN268200900033C, 5U01HL114180, 1UM1HL134590), National Institute of Mental Health (1U19MH098780), Swiss National Science Foundation (40P740-160366), UKRI BBSRC (BB/T009004/1), UKRI EPSRC (EP/V043102/1), UKRI MRC (MR/P008984/1, MR/P024408/1, MR/P02386X/1), Wellcome (074833/Z/04/Z, 093541/Z/10/Z, 103994/Z/14/Z, 107435/Z/15/Z, 205177/Z/16/Z, 214185/Z/18/Z, 218743/Z/19/Z) and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF15-1224), paid to their institution, and contracts from Health Action International; unpaid participation on data safety monitoring board, Nigeria Sodium Study (NaSS); Trial Steering Committee, INTEnsive care bundle with blood pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT 3); International Advisory Board, Latin American Brain Health institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile); Consultative Board, Programa de Gastronomía, Facultad de Estudios Interdisciplinarios, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; and Advisory Board, InterAmerican Heart Foundation (IAHF); and is the co-chair of the Independent Group of Scientists (IGS), 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report, United Nations; a is member of the Scientific Expert Committee, Global Data Collaborative for CV Population Health, World Health Federation, Microsoft, and Novartis Foundation; the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization; the WHO Technical Advisory Group on NCD-related Research and Innovation (TAG/RI), Noncommunicable Diseases Department, World Health Organization; and the Advisory Scientific Committee, Instituto de Investigación Nutricional (Peru), all unpaid, outside the submitted work. DV reports scholarship support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is an unpaid board member for the Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, all outside the submitted work. IZ was employed by Sina Medical Biochemistry Technologies Co. Ltd. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Rios-Blancas, Pando-Robles, Razo, Carcamo, Mendoza, Pacheco-Barrios, Miranda, Lansingh, Demie, Saha, Okonji, Yigit, Cahuana-Hurtado, Chacón-Uscamaita, Bernabe, Culquichicon, Chirinos-Caceres, Cárdenas, Alcalde-Rabanal, Barrera, Quintanilla, Shorofi, Wickramasinghe, Ferreira, Almidani, Gupta, Karimi, Alayu, Benziger, Fukumoto, Mostafavi, Redwan, Gebrehiwot, Khatab, Koyanagi, Krapp, Lee, Noori, Qattea, Rosenthal, Sakshaug, Wagaye, Zare, Ortega-Altamirano, Murillo-Zamora, Vervoort, Silva, Oulhaj, Herrera-Serna, Mehra, Amir-Behghadami, Adib, Cortés, Dang, Nguyen, Mokdad, Hay, Murray, Lozano and García.)

Background: The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium has found a high ICU mortality rate. Our aim was to identify all-cause mortality risk factors in ICU-patients., Methods: Multinational, multicenter, prospective cohort study at 786 ICUs of 312 hospitals in 147 cities in 37 Latin American, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and European countries., Results: Between 07/01/1998 and 02/12/2022, 300,827 patients, followed during 2,167,397 patient-days, acquired 21,371 HAIs. Following mortality risk factors were identified in multiple logistic regression: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (aOR:1.84; P<.0001); ventilator-associated pneumonia (aOR:1.48; P<.0001); catheter-associated urinary tract infection (aOR:1.18;P<.0001); medical hospitalization (aOR:1.81; P<.0001); length of stay (LOS), risk rises 1% per day (aOR:1.01; P<.0001); female gender (aOR:1.09; P<.0001); age (aOR:1.012; P<.0001); central line-days, risk rises 2% per day (aOR:1.02; P<.0001); and mechanical ventilator (MV)-utilization ratio (aOR:10.46; P<.0001). Coronary ICU showed the lowest risk for mortality (aOR: 0.34;P<.0001)., Conclusion: Some identified risk factors are unlikely to change, such as country income-level, facility ownership, hospitalization type, gender, and age. Some can be modified; Central line-associated bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, LOS, and MV-utilization. So, to lower the risk of death in ICUs, we recommend focusing on strategies to shorten the LOS, reduce MV-utilization, and use evidence-based recommendations to prevent HAIs., (Copyright © 2022 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify central-line (CL)-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) incidence and risk factors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Design: From July 1, 1998, to February 12, 2022, we conducted a multinational multicenter prospective cohort study using online standardized surveillance system and unified forms., Setting: The study included 728 ICUs of 286 hospitals in 147 cities in 41 African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries., Patients: In total, 278,241 patients followed during 1,815,043 patient days acquired 3,537 CLABSIs., Methods: For the CLABSI rate, we used CL days as the denominator and the number of CLABSIs as the numerator. Using multiple logistic regression, outcomes are shown as adjusted odds ratios (aORs)., Results: The pooled CLABSI rate was 4.82 CLABSIs per 1,000 CL days, which is significantly higher than that reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC NHSN). We analyzed 11 variables, and the following variables were independently and significantly associated with CLABSI: length of stay (LOS), risk increasing 3% daily (aOR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04; P < .0001), number of CL days, risk increasing 4% per CL day (aOR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04; P < .0001), surgical hospitalization (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.21; P < .0001), tracheostomy use (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.23-1.88; P < .0001), hospitalization at a publicly owned facility (aOR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.31-4.01; P <.0001) or at a teaching hospital (aOR, 2.91; 95% CI, 2.22-3.83; P < .0001), hospitalization in a middle-income country (aOR, 2.41; 95% CI, 2.09-2.77; P < .0001). The ICU type with highest risk was adult oncology (aOR, 4.35; 95% CI, 3.11-6.09; P < .0001), followed by pediatric oncology (aOR, 2.51;95% CI, 1.57-3.99; P < .0001), and pediatric (aOR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.81-3.01; P < .0001). The CL type with the highest risk was internal-jugular (aOR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.71-3.33; P < .0001), followed by femoral (aOR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.96-2.68; P < .0001). Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was the CL with the lowest CLABSI risk (aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02-2.18; P = .04)., Conclusions: The following CLABSI risk factors are unlikely to change: country income level, facility ownership, hospitalization type, and ICU type. These findings suggest a focus on reducing LOS, CL days, and tracheostomy; using PICC instead of internal-jugular or femoral CL; and implementing evidence-based CLABSI prevention recommendations.

Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors report no conflicts of interest related to this article. The Institutional Review Board of each hospital agreed to the study protocol, and patient confidentiality was protected by codifying the recorded information, making it only identifiable to the infection control team.

Objective: Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are several times above those of high-income countries. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors (RFs) for VAP cases in ICUs of LMICs., Design: Prospective cohort study., Setting: This study was conducted across 743 ICUs of 282 hospitals in 144 cities in 42 Asian, African, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries., Participants: The study included patients admitted to ICUs across 24 years., Results: In total, 289,643 patients were followed during 1,951,405 patient days and acquired 8,236 VAPs. We analyzed 10 independent variables. Multiple logistic regression identified the following independent VAP RFs: male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.28; P < .0001); longer length of stay (LOS), which increased the risk 7% per day (aOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.07-1.08; P < .0001); mechanical ventilation (MV) utilization ratio (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.23-1.31; P < .0001); continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which was associated with the highest risk (aOR, 13.38; 95% CI, 11.57-15.48; P < .0001); tracheostomy connected to a MV, which was associated with the next-highest risk (aOR, 8.31; 95% CI, 7.21-9.58; P < .0001); endotracheal tube connected to a MV (aOR, 6.76; 95% CI, 6.34-7.21; P < .0001); surgical hospitalization (aOR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.29; P < .0001); admission to a public hospital (aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.35-1.86; P < .0001); middle-income country (aOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 15-1.29; P < .0001); admission to an adult-oncology ICU, which was associated with the highest risk (aOR, 4.05; 95% CI, 3.22-5.09; P < .0001), admission to a neurologic ICU, which was associated with the next-highest risk (aOR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.78-3.45; P < .0001); and admission to a respiratory ICU (aOR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.79-3.07; P < .0001). Admission to a coronary ICU showed the lowest risk (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.51-0.77; P < .0001)., Conclusions: Some identified VAP RFs are unlikely to change: sex, hospitalization type, ICU type, facility ownership, and country income level. Based on our results, we recommend focusing on strategies to reduce LOS, to reduce the MV utilization ratio, to limit CPAP use and implementing a set of evidence-based VAP prevention recommendations., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Background: The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) has found a high ICU mortality rate in Latin America., Methods: A prospective cohort study in 198 ICUs of 96 hospitals in 46 cities in 12 Latin American countries to identify mortality risk factors (RF), and data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression., Results: Between 07/01/1998 and 02/12/2022, 71,685 patients, followed during 652,167 patient-days, acquired 4700 HAIs, and 10,890 died. We prospectively collected data of 16 variables. Following 11 independent mortality RFs were identified in multiple logistic regression: ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) acquisition (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.06-1.30; p < 0.0001); catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) acquisition (aOR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.15-1.56; p < 0.0001); older age, rising risk 2% yearly (aOR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.02; p < 0.0001); longer indwelling central line(CL)-days, rising risk 3% daily (aOR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02-1.03; p < 0.0001); longer indwelling urinary catheter(UC)-days, rising risk 1% daily (aOR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01-1.26; p < 0.0001); higher mechanical ventilation (MV) (aOR = 6.47; 95% CI: 5.96-7.03; p < 0.0001) and urinary catheter-utilization ratio (aOR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.11-1.27; p < 0.0001); lower-middle level income country (aOR = 2.94; 95% CI: 2.10-4.12; p < 0.0001); private (aOR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.27-1.77; p < 0.0001) or public hospital (aOR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.24-1.74; p < 0.0001) compared with university hospitals; medical hospitalization instead of surgical (aOR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.59-1.75; p < 0.0001); neurologic ICU (aOR = 4.48; 95% CI: 2.68-7.50; p < 0.0001); adult oncology ICU (aOR = 3.48; 95% CI: 2.14-5.65; p < 0.0001); and others., Conclusion: Some of the identified mortality RFs are unlikely to change, such as the income level of the country, facility ownership, hospitalization type, ICU type, and age. But some of the mortality RFs we found can be changed, and efforts should be made to reduce CL-days, UC-days, MV-utilization ratio, UC-utilization ratio, and lower VAPs and CAUTI rates., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) found a high mortality rate in ICUs of the Middle East (ME). Our goal was to identify mortality risk factor (RF) in ICUs of the ME., Materials: From 08/01/2003 to 02/12/2022, we conducted a prospective cohort study in 236 ICUs of 77 hospitals in 44 cities in 10 countries of ME. We analyzed 16 independent variables using multiple logistic regression., Results: 66,440 patients, hospitalized during 652,167 patient-days, and 13,974 died. We identified following mortality RF: Age (adjusted odds ratio (aOR):1.02;p < 0.0001) rising risk 2% yearly; length of stay (LOS) (aOR:1.02;p < 0.0001) rising the risk 2% per day; central line (CL)-days (aOR:1.01;p < 0.0001) rising risk 1% per day; mechanicalventilator (MV) utilization-ratio (aOR:14.51;p < 0.0001); CL-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) acquisition (aOR):1.49;p < 0.0001); ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) acquisition (aOR:1.50;p < 0.0001); female gender (OR:1.14;p < 0.0001); hospitalization at a public-hospital (OR:1.31;p < 0.0001); and medical-hospitalization (aOR:1.64;p < 0.0001). High-income countries showed lowest risk (aOR:0.59;p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Some identified RF are unlikely to change, such as country income-level, facility ownership, hospitalization type, gender, and age. Some can be modified; LOS, CL-use, MV-use, CLABSI, VAP. So, to lower the mortality risk in ICUs, we recommend focusing on strategies to shorten the LOS, reduce CL and MV-utilization, and use evidence-based recommendations to prevent CLABSI and VAP., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors report no conflicts of interest related to this article. The Institutional Review Board of each hospital agreed to the study protocol, and patient confidentiality was protected by codifying the recorded information, making it only identifiable to the infection control team., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care-associated infection (HAI) incidence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Methods: Patients from 7 LMICs were followed up during hospital intensive care unit (ICU) stays from January 2019 to May 2020. HAI rates were calculated using the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Surveillance Online System applying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) criteria. Pre-COVID-19 rates for 2019 were compared with COVID-19 era rates for 2020 for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), ventilator-associated events (VAEs), mortality, and length of stay (LOS)., Results: A total of 7,775 patients were followed up for 49,506 bed days. The 2019 to 2020 rate comparisons were 2.54 and 4.73 CLABSIs per 1,000 central line days (risk ratio [RR] = 1.85, p = .0006), 9.71 and 12.58 VAEs per 1,000 mechanical ventilator days (RR = 1.29, p = .10), and 1.64 and 1.43 CAUTIs per 1,000 urinary catheter days (RR = 1.14; p = .69). Mortality rates were 15.2% and 23.2% for 2019 and 2020 (RR = 1.42; p < .0001), respectively. Mean LOS for 2019 and 2020 were 6.02 and 7.54 days (RR = 1.21, p < .0001), respectively., Discussion: This study documents an increase in HAI rates in 7 LMICs during the first 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the need to reprioritize and return to conventional infection prevention practices., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers and uninfected patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 as a result of transmission from infected patients and health-care workers. In the absence of high-quality evidence on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, clinical practice of infection control and prevention in ICUs varies widely. Using a Delphi process, international experts in intensive care, infectious diseases, and infection control developed consensus statements on infection control for SARS-CoV-2 in an ICU. Consensus was achieved for 31 (94%) of 33 statements, from which 25 clinical practice statements were issued. These statements include guidance on ICU design and engineering, health-care worker safety, visiting policy, personal protective equipment, patients and procedures, disinfection, and sterilisation. Consensus was not reached on optimal return to work criteria for health-care workers who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 or the acceptable disinfection strategy for heat-sensitive instruments used for airway management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Well designed studies are needed to assess the effects of these practice statements and address the remaining uncertainties., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests PN reports honoraria for lectures and other educational events from Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, and is a member of Edward Lifesciences Advisory Board Panel, outside of the submitted work. JVD reports personal fees (paid to institution) from Edwards India, outside the submitted work. MB reports honoraria for lectures and another educational event from Angelini, Bayer, bioMérieux, Cipla, Gilead Sciences, Menarini, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Pfizer, and Shionogi; grants from Pfizer and MSD, outside of the submitted work; and is on the advisory board of Cidara Therapeutics. JDW reports honoraria (paid to institution) for lectures and other educational events from MSD and Pfizer, outside of the submitted work. BD reports research grants from Ministry of Science and Technology, People's Republic of China (research grant 2020YFC0841300), and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2020-I2M-2-005 and 2019-I2M-1-001), outside of the submitted work. LE reports consulting fees (paid to institution) for the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Centre, outside of the submitted work. SJ reports academic consultation fees from Drager, Fisher-Paykel, Medtronic, Baxter International, and Fresenius–Xenios; and honoraria for lectures and other educational events from Fisher-Paykel and Baxter, outside of the submitted work. MK reports honoraria from Merck and Pfizer for lectures and other educational events, outside of the submitted work. JM reports research grants (paid to institution) from Covidien (Medtronic) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research; personal consultation fees from Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Faron Pharmaceuticals; honoraria from Medtronic for lectures and other educational events; and a consulting agreement signed with Vyaire, outside of the submitted work. MSN reports personal consulting fees from Abbvie, outside of the submitted work. AP reports research grants from Novo Nordisk Foundation, Pfizer, and Fresenius Kabi, outside of the submitted work. MS reports research grants and advisory board fees from NewB; research grants from DSTL, Critical Pressure, and Apollo Therapeutics; speaking fees (paid to institution) from Amormed, advisory board fees from Biotest, GE, Baxter, Roche, and Bayer; and honoria from Shionogi, outside of the submitted work. BV reports research grants and honoraria for the guest lecture and other educational events from Baxter, outside of the submitted work. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)