Clinical Profile of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Patients with Infections and Antibiotic Response in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: The study on the clinical characteristics of ICU patients with infections and their treatment responses makes numerous important observations. Clinical observations and laboratory findings provide an overview of the patient's condition, laying the groundwork for the development of an organized microbiological diagnostic approach. In intensive care units (ICUs), where patients are critically ill, immunocompromised, and frequently undergoing invasive procedures and long-term antibiotic treatment, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a serious public health risk. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections are becoming more common, which makes infection control more difficult by raising morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, and the financial strain on healthcare systems. However, little hospital- based data are available to inform targeted infection control measures and antibiotic stewardship initiatives. Thus, the present study aims to understand the clinical profile of ICU patients with infections and Antibiotic Resistance.

Materials and Methods: Patients who acquire illness with or without device-associated support are included. The patient's personal data, including age and gender, will be documented in addition to a comprehensive medical history and any co-occurring conditions.  A patient with an IV line, Foley's catheter, central line catheter, or mechanical ventilator is attached to a device. According to reports of positive lab culture, the Vitek 2 compact method is used in microbiology labs to test for antibiotic sensitivity and identify bacterial growth from samples taken under aseptic precaution. Additionally, they will receive a thorough clinical evaluation.

Results: The most prevalent comorbidities among the 76 ICU patients (mostly older) in the study were diabetes mellitus (68.4%) and hypertension (59.2%). Of these patients, 53.9% were male and 46.1% were female. The most common diagnosis was urosepsis (51.3%), and the clinical impact of device-related infections was highlighted by nosocomial infections as ventilator-associated pneumonia (1.3%), hospital-acquired pneumonia (3.9%), CAUTI (3.9%), and CLABSI (6.6%). Particularly in cases of urosepsis; Escherichia coli, the most commonly isolated pathogen (39.5%). Based on sensitivity testing, antibiotic therapy was changed for 55.3% of patients, while 44.7% of patients remained their original course of treatment. The majority of infections (76.3%) were obtained in the community, followed by hospital infections (23.7%) and medical device infections (19.7%). With a mortality rate of 11.8% and clinical improvement seen in 88.2% of cases, the results were mainly positive.

Conclusion: Many significant findings are made by the study on the clinical features of infected intensive care unit patients and how they respond to treatment. Most of those affected were elderly, males were clearly more prevalent, and comorbidities were common. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns showed concerning trends toward resistance. The significance of microbiological testing in directing treatment choices is shown by the fact that, in over half of the patients, empirical antibiotic medication had to be modified in response to culture sensitivity data. Overall, the clinical result was really good. Strong antibiotic stewardship, prompt culture-guided therapy, and focused interventions in intensive care units are vital for managing infections and lowering resistance, according to these data.