The problem of hospital bloodstream infections in patients hospitalized in intensive care units

Intensive care units (ICUs) are specialized units to treat critically ill patients. Thanks to the development of medical sciences during hospitalization in a ICU there is a possibility to apply highly specialized procedures which increase patient’s chance to survive. Unfortunately, it entails a danger of nosocomial infection. The problem of hospital infections is present as long as hospital units themselves exist. Hospital infections contribute to extension of hospitalization length; they influence patients physical and mental state, increase the number of procedures and financial cost of hospitalization. There are several forms of nosocomial infections – one of them is bloodstream infection. The keystones of blood infection prevention are: proper evaluation of patient’s state, knowledge about the mechanisms of infection transmission, obeying rules of asepsis and antisepsis during central venous catheter insertion and proper care of vascular access. Hand disinfection by the medical staff is crucial in the prophylaxis of infection transmission when using vascular catheters. The aim at this study was to present and characterize the problem of hospital bloodstream infections within ICUs and an analysis of a possibility to prevent bloodstream infections in patients hospitalized in such units. From the literature analysis it was determined that the prevalence of hospital infections in Poland is similar as in other European medical centers. However, the objective should be to improve the standards of medical care in a way to provide medical services on the highest level and to reduce the number of cases of hospital infection.