RT Book, Section
A1 Weinstein, Robert A.
A2 Kasper, Dennis L.
A2 Fauci, Anthony S.
SR Print(0)
ID 1141405437
T1 INFECTIONS ACQUIRED IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
T2 Harrison's Infectious Diseases, 3e
YR 2017
FD 2017
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259835971
LK accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141405437
RD 2025/04/24
AB The  costs  of  hospital-acquired  (nosocomial)  and  other  health  care–associated  infections  are  great.  These  infections  have  affected  as  many  as  1.7  million  patients  at  a  cost  of  ~$28–33  billion  and  99,000  lives  in  U.S.  hospitals  annually.  Although  efforts  to  lower  infection  risks  have  been  challenged  by  the  numbers  of  immunocompromised  patients,  antibiotic-resistant  bacteria,  fungal  and  viral  superinfections,  and  invasive  devices  and  procedures,  a  prevailing  viewpoint—often  termed  “zero  tolerance”—is  that  almost  all  health  care–associated  infections  should  be  avoidable  with  strict  application  of  evidence-based  prevention  guidelines  (Table  17-1).  In  fact,  rates  of  device-related  infections—historically,  the  largest  drivers  of  risk—have  fallen  steadily  over  the  past  few  years.  Unfortunately,  at  the  same  time,  antimicrobial-resistant  pathogens  have  risen  in  number  and  are  estimated  to  contribute  to  ~23,000  deaths  in  and  outside  of  hospitals  annually.  This  chapter  reviews  health  care–associated  and  device-related  infections  as  well  as  basic  surveillance,  prevention,  control,  and  treatment  activities.