Surveillance of Health Care-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background: Among Gram-negative microorganisms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most frequent causative pathogen in health care associated infection (HAI). P . aeruginosa infections are becoming more challenging to treat due to its innate as well as capacity to fast acquiring resistance to available antimicrobial agents (AMAs). There needs to be continuous surveillance to understand the sensitivity pattern as well as the clinical profile of the infections caused by P . aeruginosa . Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, observational, study conducted in various inpatient departments of a tertiary care hospital in India. Complete clinical and epidemiological profile of the patients, from whom P. aeruginosa was isolated as a causative organism, was recorded. Such patients were followed up daily till the outcome was achieved. The sensitivity of P. aeruginosa to various AMAs was noted. Data analysis was performed using suitable statistical tests. Results: P . aeruginosa was isolated from 103 clinical specimens during the study. Almost all the patients were diagnosed with HAI. With the most common being skin and soft-tissue infections. 41.75% of P . aeruginosa were multidrug resistant, with 25.24% being carbapenem resistant. The duration of hospitalization after isolation was 19.83 ± 5.79 days. Sixty-two patients were successfully treated and discharged from the hospital. Conclusion: A high prevalence of multidrug, especially carbapenem resistance among the P. aeruginosa isolates, has been observed, compromising the ability to choose efficacious empirical regimens, use of multiple high-end AMAs, and prolongation of hospitalization. Implementation of effective preventive and control measures along with antimicrobial stewardship strategies are urgently needed.