PREVENTION OF NOSOCOMIAL

INFECTIONS IN MEDICAL INTENSIVE

CARE UNIT

Prepared by:
Jahnna Fernandez
Nosocomial Infection
occurring within 72 hours after
admittance to the hospital
Exogenous Source
Endogenous Source

According to the 1995 European Prevalence of

Infection in Intensive Care Study, up to 20.6 percent of
ICU patients acquire Nosocomial infections during or
after their stay.
The awareness among the patients and the health
professionals about the rapid transmission of
infections and even other viral should be part of the
health promotion to completely eliminate and
prevent further transmission of infections.
Who are affected by emerging Nosocomial Pathogens?

immune compromised because of age,

underlying diseases, or medical or
surgical treatments
(Weinstein ,1998)

the highest infection rates are in

intensive care unit (ICU) patients
What are the most dangerous Pathogens of Nosocomial
Infection?

According to the CDC, the most

common pathogens that cause Nosocomial
infections are Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E.
coli.
What are the body defenses against infections?

Nonspecific
includes anatomical and
physiologic barriers and
inflammatory response
Specific
Immune system
(Berman et.al., 2008)
The Center of Disease Control and Prevention estimates
that 2 million patients suffer from hospital-acquired
infections every year and nearly 100, 000 of them die.
Approximately one third of Nosocomial infections are
preventable ( Kemmerly& Reed, 2009, p.27). To meet and exceed
this level of prevention, we need to pursue several
strategies simultaneously.
A clients normal defenses are sometimes lowered
by surgery or illness that allows them to be easily
infected by potentially infectious microorganisms

o Maintaining Healthy lifestyle

oProper fluid intake

(Victoria State Government , 2015)
According to the World Health Organization , an
estimated 40 percent of Nosocomial infections are
caused by poor hand hygiene.

oHygiene

oAdequate Antiseptics
(Berman et.al.,2008, p.682).
Improper intravenous fluid, tubing and site care
technique can lead to infection for the client

oSterile technique

oInterdisciplinary Infection Control

( Kemmerly & Reed ,2009)
We must work with hospital personnel on better
implementation of existing infection control
technologies so that we will not need to rely solely
on technological advances.