Healthcare associated infection management in 62 intensive care units for patients with congenital heart disease in China, a survey study.

OBJECTIVES: All patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) receive postoperative management in ICUs. Infection prevention and control (IPC) has a significant impact on prognosis. This study provides a preliminary understanding of the fundamental aspects of IPC in ICUs following CHD surgery in China.

METHODS: From September to October 2023, we initiated a survey on HAI management in hospitals that perform CHD surgeries independently. The questionnaires were jointly completed by the ICU physicians and IPC personnel. Duplicate or unqualified questionnaires were excluded from the study. The contents of our questionnaires covered hospital and ICU capacity, performance of the infection control department, HAI surveillance, implementation of IPC measures, and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). Qualified questionnaires were compared according to the volume of annual CHD surgeries performed in different ICUs. Group 1 was defined as volume > 300 cases and group 2 was defined as volume ≤300 cases.

RESULTS: 62 of the 118 questionnaires were completed, with a response rate of 53%. The CHD surgical volume in 2022 of the 62 hospitals was 36342, accounting for 52% of the annual CHD surgical volume (69672) across the country. The postoperative infection rates obtained from the 15 ICUs varied from 1.3% to 15%, with a median rate of 4.5%. A total of 16 ICUs provided data on drug-resistant bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae exhibiting the highest frequency. More than 95% of ICUs have established complete HAI management systems. Information-based HAI surveillance was conducted in 89% of ICUs. Approximately 67% of ICUs stopped prophylactic antibiotics within 48 hours after surgery. In complex cases, carbapenems were administered empirically in 89% of ICUs. Group 1 had an advantage over group 2 in preventing multidrug-resistant organisms (all instruments should be used alone 100% vs. 86%, P=0.047; cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces, 100% vs. 81%, P=0.035; antibiotic consumption control 85% vs. 61%, P=0.044) and in preventing surgical site infections (perioperative blood glucose monitoring, 88% vs. 67%, P=0.048). However, Group 1 did not perform well in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection (delayed catheter removal due to convenience of laboratory tests, 31% vs. 6%, P=0.021) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (delayed catheter removal due to muscle relaxant administration, 88% vs. 58%, P=0.022).

CONCLUSIONS: A relatively complete HAI management system has been established throughout the country in ICUs for CHD patients. Information-based surveillance of HAI needs to be promoted, and actions should be taken to facilitate the implementation of IPC measures and AMS bundles. Training and feedback are critical for implementing IPC measures.