Hospital-acquired infection in adult ICU incidence, antimicrobial resistance pattern, mortality rates, and risk factors detecting in Tripoli University Hospital- Libya: Longitudinal study

Background Frequency of Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Infections (ICU-AI) and antimicrobial resistance rates remain higher in developing countries than in developed countries. There is limited information regarding ICU-AI in public hospitals in Libya. Methods This longitudinal study conducted in Tripoli University Hospital, Libya, including all patients diagnosed with HAI in the ICU from March 2023 to September 2023. Included patients aged 18 years and older who stayed more than 48 hours in the ICU. Results Of the 66 included cases, 18 were infected (27.27% of all patients), and ICU-AI incidence density was 24.97 per 1000 patient days. The most frequent ICU-AI was pneumonia (71.4%) followed by UTI (19%), Blood Stream Infection, and skin infection (4.8%) for each. For Device-Associated Infection (DAI) density; 34.48 per 1000 Mechanical Ventilation (MV) days for the Ventilator Associated Infection (VAP), 7.59 per 1000 catheter days for Catheter Associated UTI (CAUTI), and 2.33 per 1000 central line days for Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI). Klebsiella pneumonia was the commonest (41.7% of isolates). Mortality rate among infected patients was 55.56%. Conclusion High bacterial resistance emerges and high mortality rate among infected patients in medical ICU require immediate action to implement urgent infection prevention and control programs.