Table 2 Infection control and management practices in participating ICUs.
From: A survey on infection management practices in Italian ICUs
Practices | Use - number (%)a |
|---|---|
Surveillance cultures | |
   ○ on ICU admission | 104/146 (71) |
   ○ after ICU admission | 128/146 (88) |
Regular reports on antimicrobial resistance profiles of organisms isolated in the hospital | 66/151 (41) |
Automatic lab alerts when high-risk isolates are recoveredb | 88/149 (59) |
Nasal-swab screening for MRSA and decolonization when cultures are positive | |
   ○ Yes | 24/151 (16) |
   ○ No | 103/151 (68) |
   ○ In selected cases | 24/151 (16) |
Quantitative cultures of tracheobronchial secretions | 108/156 (69) |
Samples cultured to diagnose pneumonia | |
   ○ endotracheal aspirate | 79/162 (49) |
   ○ bronchoalveolar lavage fluid | 68/162 (42) |
   ○ protected-specimen brush | 15/162 (9) |
Routine use of the Candida colonization index | 44/148 (30) |
Use of the procalcitonin assay | 100/152 (66) |
Consultation of infectious disease specialists for infection management | |
   ○ Routinely | 16/149 (11) |
   ○ In selected cases | 82/149 (55) |
   ○ Rarely | 36/149 (24) |
   ○ No | 15/149 (10) |
Use of antibiotic combinations for first-line empirical treatment of specific infections | |
   ○ Community-acquired peritonitis | 92/162 (57) |
   ○ Early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) | 107/162 (66) |
   ○ Late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) | 142/162 (88) |
   ○ Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) | 113/162 (70) |
   ○ Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) | 128/162 (79) |
   ○ Health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) | 138/162 (85) |
   ○ Post-surgical peritonitis | 133/162 (82) |
   ○ Catheter-related bacteremia | 107/162 (66) |
   ○ Purulent meningitis | 120/162 (74) |
Therapy de-escalation when culture results are back | 109/162 (67) |