RT Book, Section A1 Frank, Matthew A1 Ramesh, Navitha A1 Go, Ronaldo Collo A2 Go, Ronaldo Collo SR Print(0) ID 1160187085 T1 Healthcare-Acquired Infections T2 Critical Care Examination and Board Review YR 2019 FD 2019 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259834356 LK accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1160187085 RD 2024/10/10 AB A healthcare-associated infection (HAI), or nosocomial infection, is defined as a localized or systemic condition resulting from the presence of an infectious agent(s) or its toxin(s) that develop in a hospital or other healthcare facility that were not present or incubating at the time of admission.1 Healthcare-associated infections increase healthcare costs and contribute to extended intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay and increased morbidities. Mortality rates associated with healthcare-associated infections are significantly higher than those associated with community-acquired infections. While reports vary, recent data suggests that on a given day, 1 of every 25 inpatients at US acute care hospitals had at least 1 HAI.2 Recent estimates suggest that the annual direct cost of HAIs to the healthcare system is approximately $6.65 billion.3 Risk factors for development of an HAI include length of hospital stay, the presence of a central catheter, presence in a critical care unit, and mechanical ventilation. The leading causes of HAIs include pneumonias, surgical-site infections (SSIs), gastrointestinal infections (including those caused by Clostridium difficile), catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections.2