The frequency of nosocomial infection and environmental contamination in the burn center

Abstract

Nosocomial infections result in a high rate of morbidity and mortality globally. The present study investigated patterns of bacterial contamination in the hospital environment and hospital-acquired infections in hospitalized burn patients.This cross-sectional study was conducted on 212 hospital environmental samples and 673 clinical samples of hospitalized burn patients in Velayat Hospital, Rasht, Iran, from 2018 to 2021. Demographical data and clinical characteristics of burn patients were recorded and analyzed. The data of reported infections were recorded to find the infection pattern. All data was performed using SPSS version 22, and the significant level was set at 0.05. Among 212 environmental samples, 94.8% were from hospital surfaces, with the ICU being the most sampled area (36.8%). Fungal infections were most prevalent (65.5%), followed by Staphylococcus spp. (19.8%). Analysis of 673 burn patients showed a predominantly male population (74.5%), with a mean age of 39.50 years and an average burn severity of 39.57%. Patients typically developed infections 3.91 days post-admission, with an average hospital stay of 12.07 days. The mortality rate was high at 50.3%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) was the most common pathogen in patients (34.9%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (12.3%), with 46.9% of isolates remaining unidentified. The study illustrated the urgent need for improved infection control strategies, enhanced environmental monitoring, and better diagnostic capabilities to reduce the high rates of nosocomial infections and improve patient outcomes in burn centers.