3 Most Common Types of Healthcare-acquired infections

Many different intrusive techniques and equipment are used in modern healthcare to treat patients and aid in their recovery. The equipment used in medical treatments, such as ventilators or catheters, is sometimes linked to infections. However, the ongoing and persistent efforts to improve infection control procedures made in response to COVID 19 pandemic may actually lower the incidence of other Healthcare-acquired infections.

What are Healthcare-acquired infections?

Healthcare-acquired infections in a facility (HAI or HCAI), commonly referred to as hospital-acquired infections (HAI), are nosocomially acquired infections that are frequently absent or may be incubating at the time of admission. These infections typically start 48 hours after being admitted to the hospital and are contracted beyond that. 

Organizations like the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention keep a careful eye on the infections (CDC). NICE estimates that 300,000 patients in England alone are diagnosed with HCAI each year, costing the NHS an estimated £1 billion annually. This can be the result of cross-infection within the hospital or contamination of equipment and other materials.

Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) include pneumonia related to ventilators, urinary tract infections related to catheters, and bloodstream infections related to central lines. Infections, commonly referred to as surgical site infections, can develop after surgery. Because they pose a serious risk to patient safety, the CDC strives to monitor and prevent these infections.

In this article, we shall discuss many hospital-acquired diseases, along with the pathogenic microbes that cause them.

What is the leading cause of Healthcare-acquired infections?

The main factors causing Healthcare-acquired infections

The most prevalent forms of Healthcare-acquired infections include bloodstream infections (BSI), pneumonia (including ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP]), urinary tract infections (UTI), and surgical site infections (SSI).

Both patients and medical staff spread germs among themselves inside hospitals. Sometimes, even when feeling unwell, people carry these viruses, which means they unknowingly distribute them to others. Your immune system may not be strong enough to combat these viruses if you are currently recuperating in the hospital following surgery or another sickness.

Healthcare-acquired infections (known as Nosocomial infections) occur when you become ill within 48 hours of checking into the hospital due to these microorganisms. One is available from any medical establishment. These infections can result in more significant health problems if people do not manage them.

Types of Healthcare-acquired infections

Common Healthcare-acquired infections of  nosocomial infections come in a variety of forms, including:

• Bacterial illnesses. Bacteria are microscopic, invisible living creatures. Although most are safe, some can result in significant sickness. The most frequent cause of nosocomial infections is bacteria. E. coli and staph bacteria are frequent pathogens.

• Bacterial infections. Like yeast, mold, and mushrooms, fungi are living organisms. Some fungi can spread infectious diseases that are hazardous. Candida (thrush) and Aspergillus are the two fungi that cause nosocomial infections the most frequently. ‌

• Viral illnesses. Viruses are microscopic microbes that replicate your natural genetic code to spread throughout your body. They deceive your body into producing copies of them, just as it does with other cells. Viral illnesses can be severe. Influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus are frequent viruses that cause nosocomial illnesses.

Who’s at risk of Healthcare-acquired infections?

Every patient in a hospital is at risk of acquiring a nosocomial infection. Young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to contracting an illness than other patients. Extended hospital stays, the use of indwelling catheters, failing to wash healthcare personnel' hands, and overuse of antibiotics are additional risk factors.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that HAIs cause 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths annually in American hospitals alone. Among these infections:

• Urinary tract infections account for 32% of all Healthcare-acquired infections.
• 22 percent are infections at the surgery site.
• 15% are cases of pneumonia (lung infections)
• Infections in the bloodstream account for 14%.

3 most common healthcare-acquired infections

Respiratory tract infections (Pneumonia)

An infection of the lungs is known as pneumonia. It affects the lungs' air sacs (alveoli), which become clogged with bacteria, fluid, and inflammatory cells and lose their ability to function normally. In the UK, 8 out of 1,000 persons suffer from pneumonia each year. Any age can be affected, but the very young or the elderly may be more severely affected. The most frequent infection connected with healthcare that causes death is hospital-acquired pneumonia, which affects 0.5% to 1.0% of hospitalized patients.

Streptococcus pneumonia typically causes hospital-acquired pneumonia with an early onset (less than 5 days after hospital admission), while MRSA, P. aeruginosa, and other non-pseudomonal gram-negative bacteria typically cause hospital-acquired pneumonia with a late onset (more than 5 days after hospital admission). Pneumonia affected 345 out of every 100,000 people in 2012, down from 307 out of every 100,000 in 2004. Due to a worldwide flu pandemic in 2009, this increased to 409 people for every 100,000 people. Each year, pneumonia is diagnosed in about 220,000 persons.

Surgical site infections

According to research, up to 20% of all infections related to healthcare are surgical site infections (SSIs). At least 5% of people who undergo surgery get an infection at the surgical site. A sternal infection after open heart surgery is an example of a life-threatening postoperative complication. Surgical site infections can range from a naturally restricted wound discharge after 7 to 10 days of an operation to a life-threatening postoperative complication.

Sepsis/Bacteraemia

The presence of infection causes the body's immune and coagulation systems to become activated, which results in the clinical state known as sepsis (bacteria, viruses, or fungi). One of the leading causes of death for hospitalized patients in the intensive care unit is sepsis (ICU). In addition to organ dysfunction and sepsis, septic shock is a potentially fatal illness marked by low blood pressure despite appropriate fluid replenishment. According to the UK Sepsis Trust, 37,000 individuals in the UK pass away from sepsis each year. Pneumonia, intestinal perforation, urinary tract infection, and severe skin infections are the most typical adult causes of sepsis.

Conclusion

Last but not least, these hazardous diseases could develop as a result of lax cleaning procedures, poor hand hygiene, or failing to use alternate therapies such as automatic disinfection technologies. The literature and peer-reviewed publications have repeatedly demonstrated that manual cleaning alone is insufficient to completely eradicate contamination at a level that is safe for patients and personnel. Implementing infection control and prevention strategies that combine manual cleaning with automated no-touch technologies like UV-C light and hydrogen peroxide vapour can enhance results and lower infection rates.

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