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Nosocomial Infection Rates at an Oncology Center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Coleman Rotstein ,
K. Michael Cummings ,
Andreas L. Nicolaou ,
Joyce Lucey  and
John Fitzpatrick
Coleman Rotstein*
Affiliation:
Departments of Medical Oncology, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York Division of Infectious Diseases, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
K. Michael Cummings
Affiliation:
Cancer Control and Epidemiology, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York
Andreas L. Nicolaou
Affiliation:
Cancer Control and Epidemiology, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York
Joyce Lucey
Affiliation:
Laborotory Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
John Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
Laborotory Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
*
Roswell Park Memorial Institute, 666 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14263
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Abstract

Nosocomial infection rates were computed for 5,031 patients at an oncology center during a 20-month period. Twelve percent of the patients developed nosocomial infections, accounting for a total of 802 infections. The overall incidence of nosocomial infections during this study period was 6.27 infections per 1,000 patient days. The highest incidence of nosocomial infections was found in patients having acute myelogenous leukemia (30.49 infections per 1,000 patient days); bone and joint cancer (27.27 infections per 1,000 patient days); and liver cancer (26.58 infections per 1,000 patient days). The respiratory tract was the most common site of infection, followed by blood-stream, surgical wound, and urinary tract infections. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and coagulase-negative staphylococci were most frequently implicated as pathogens. The distribution of specific types of infection according to underlying malignancy was also tabulated. These data provide nosocomial infection rates, common pathogens, and sites of infection for cancer patients, thus assisting in directing appropriate therapy for these patients.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , January 1988 , pp. 13 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1988

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