Infections Are Common in ICUs Worldwide, Study Finds

In ICU
Thu, 3 Dec 2009

"Infection and related sepsis are the leading cause of death in noncardiac ICUs, with mortality rates that reach 60 percent and account for approximately 40 percent of total ICU expenditures," the authors write. International data related to the prevalence, risk factors, microorganisms causing the infections and outcomes of infection are necessary to increase awareness of the impact of infection, and to help in the development of local and international guidelines for diagnosis and treatment and guide resource allocation, according to background information in the article. However, little information is available about the global epidemiology of infections in ICUs.

Jean-Louis Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., of Erasme Hospital, Universit

«« Poor Outcomes for Chronically Critically Ill Patients Leaving Hospitals on Ventilators, Researchers Report

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"Infection and related sepsis are the leading cause of death in noncardiac ICUs, with mortality rates that reach 60 percent and account for approximately...