NEW YORK: People admitted to hospital for the treatment of Covid-19 are likely to have a higher incidence of healthcare associated infections, finds a study.
The study, published online in JAMA Network Open, showed that the occurrence of central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia was between 2.7 and 3.7-fold higher in the Covid-19 population.
“Patients with Covid-19 may require additional protective care to prevent the infections,” said Kenneth E. Sands, along with other authors from the HCA Healthcare in Tennessee, US.
For the study, the team conducted a cross-sectional analysis of more than 5 million hospitalisations between 2020 and 2022.
The results showed that the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infection was nearly fourfold higher among the Covid-19 population than the non-Covid-19 population (25.4 versus 6.9 per 100,000 patient-days).
Similar trends were seen for catheter-associated urinary tract infection (16.5 versus 6.1) and for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia (11.2 versus 3.7).
However, the study found that occurrence of these infections among patients hospitalised without Covid-19 did not increase significantly.
“Despite the strain on the healthcare system, the increase in healthcare-associated infections was not observed in the non-Covid-19 population, suggesting that key safety processes were maintained,” the team said.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android