The effect of temporary closure and enhanced terminal disinfection using aerosolized hydrogen peroxide of an open-bay intensive care unit on the acquisition of extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Background: At Makassed Hospital's open-bay intensive care unit (ICU), enhanced terminal disinfection (ETD) using hydrogen peroxide (HO) was performed without a predefined schedule in extensively-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-AB) outbreaks. In this study, we aimed to check for the value of the temporary closure of the ICU and the use of ETD with aerosolized HO and Ag on minimizing the rate of XDR-AB acquisition in patients admitted to the ICU of our facility, which might consequently help us determine the optimal schedule for such procedure in this unit.

Methods: This is a retrospective medical file review of patients admitted to the ICU between January 2016 and May 2018.