The impact of infection control on intensive care unit microbial isolates

Abstract

In todays world, good infection control practices in high pressure intensive care units is of vital importance. Endogenous infections from the patients own microbial flora now cause the majority of nosocomial infections as the exogenous infections are curtailed to a large extent with aggressive surveillance and prevention of infection. We analysed absolute numbers of microbial isolates as an indirect reflection of infection rate in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 6 months in 1992, 1994 and 1996. We demonstrated that inspite of the total admission to the ICU increasing, the impact of infection control is certainly felt with strict inforcement of protocols.