Healthcare-associated infections among HIV-positive and HIV/AIDS-negative patients: a casuistic from the Amazonian Region

Danielle Saraiva Tuma dos Reis; Irna Carla do Rosário Souza Carneiro; Dilma Costa de Oliveira Neves; Lourival Rodrigues Marsola; Rita Catarina Medeiros Sousa

doi:10.5123/S2176-62232013000200004

Authors

Danielle Saraiva Tuma dos Reis Faculdade de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Enfermaria de Doenças Infecciosas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Belém, Pará, Brasil
Irna Carla do Rosário Souza Carneiro Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
Dilma Costa de Oliveira Neves Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Centro Universitário do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
Lourival Rodrigues Marsola Comitê de Controle de Infecção Hospitalar, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
Rita Catarina Medeiros Sousa Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Seção de Virologia, Instituto Evandro Chagas/SVS/MS, Belém, Pará, Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5123/S2176-62232013000200004

Keywords:

Cross Infection, HIV, Pneumonia, Risk Factors

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and compare the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) involving HIV and non-HIV/AIDS patients.
METHODS: Analytical, observational and prospective study. Setting: The Infectious Disease Nursery at the Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. Patients: HIV and non-HIV/AIDS inpatients from February to December 2007. The patients were monitored daily from admission to the day of discharge.
RESULTS: During the study period, there were 20,276 reported patient-days. Out of the 1,130 discharged patients, 40 patients acquired HAIs, and HAIs occurred more frequently in the HIV-positive patients (57.5%), with 29 (60.4%) HAI episodes (p ≤ 0.05). A total of 11 (55%) HIV-positive patients showed a TCD4 cell count < 100 cell/mm³, and 15 (65.22%) HIV-positive patients died from complications associated with the HAIs (p = 0.009). The most frequent infections were urinary tract infections related to urinary catheter use per 1,000 catheter-days in non-HIV patients, with 12.11 episodes (p = 0.13). However, HIV-positive patients were more often infected with pneumonia, with 1.6 episodes per 1,000 patient-days (p = 0.04).
CONCLUSION: HAI are more likely to occur in HIV-positive patients, most likely as a consequence of their immune condition, and this risk, which is associated with invasive procedures, justifies the need for preventive measures.