Clinical Profile and Outcome of Covid-19 Intensive Care Patients with Nosocomial Infections: A Single-Centred Experience from India

Background: Incidences of nosocomial infections in COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) have become a common occurrence. Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) present increased mortality, cost-of-care, especially relevant in multidrug resistant (MDR) infections. Our study aimed to assess the clinical implications associated with HAI-infected COVID-19 patients. Patients and Methods: We conducted retrospective single-centred study on ICU-admitted adult COVID-19 patients for a year i.e., 2021-22 at a tertiary Indian institute and collated data of HAI epidemiological, clinical and microbiological reports. Results: Rate of HIA at our centre was estimated to be 10.29% and the mortality rate was 40.4%. 10 different organisms(Bacteria: 8, Fungi: 2) were detected in HAI, of which the incidence of Gram-negative infections (GNI) was highest i.e., 60% and that of Gram-positive infections (GPI)/Fungi (Fungi infected) were 20% each. Mortality was highest among GPI (36.67%), FI (13.46%), followed by and GPI (7.69%). Tocilizumab treatment decreased the risk of survivability with no significant difference in the treatment outcomes. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive picture of nosocomial infections characteristics among COVID-19patients and provides insights regarding the impact of treatment on the outcome of these patients with suggestions for strategies. We found that critically ill patients with COVID- 19 are at a high risk of developing HAI, especially MDR mediated CLABSI and CAUTI. Clinicians must therefore be cautious and mindful during implementing protocols for management of infectious complications with COVID-19 patients.