Multinational prospective study of incidence and risk factors for central-line-associated bloodstream infections in 728 intensive care units of 41 Asian, African, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries over 24 years.

Objective: To identify central-line (CL)-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) incidence and risk factors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Design: From July 1, 1998, to February 12, 2022, we conducted a multinational multicenter prospective cohort study using online standardized surveillance system and unified forms.

Setting: The study included 728 ICUs of 286 hospitals in 147 cities in 41 African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.

Incremental costs of hospital-acquired infections in COVID-19 patients in an adult intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital from a low-resource setting.

Background: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a global public health problem and put patients at risk of complications, including death. HAIs increase treatment costs, but their financial impact on Serbia's healthcare system is unknown. Our goal was to assess incremental costs of HAIs in a tertiary care adult intensive care unit (ICU) that managed COVID-19 patients.

Multinational prospective cohort study of rates and risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia over 24 years in 42 countries of Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).

Objective: Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are several times above those of high-income countries. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors (RFs) for VAP cases in ICUs of LMICs.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Microbiology of Healthcare-Associated Infections: Results of a Fourth National Point Prevalence Survey in Serbia.

Millions of patients acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) every year, putting them at risk for serious complications and prolonged hospitalization. Point prevalence surveys (PPS), guided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control framework, are one of the primary methods by which countries in the European Union conduct surveillance of HAIs. Serbia, though not in the EU, implemented this approach in its national PPS.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 45 countries for 2013-2018, Adult and Pediatric Units, Device-associated Module.

Background: We report the results of INICC surveillance study from 2013 to 2018, in 664 intensive care units (ICUs) in 133 cities, of 45 countries, from Latin-America, Europe, Africa, Eastern-Mediterranean, Southeast-Asia, and Western-Pacific.

Methods: Prospective data from patients hospitalized in ICUs were collected through INICC Surveillance Online System. CDC-NHSN definitions for device-associated healthcare-associated infection (DA-HAI) were applied.

A nationwide assessment of the burden of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use among surgical patients: results from Serbian point prevalence survey, 2017.

Background: As the only non-European Union (EU) country, Serbia participated in a second point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use (AMU) organized by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the EU countries. Here, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of HAI and AMU in patients who had recently undergone a surgery and to compare risk profile, HAI rates, and AMU among surgical patients and non-surgical patients.

Methods: A national PPS was performed in 65 Serbian acute-care hospitals, in November 2017.

Six-year multicenter study on short-term peripheral venous catheters-related bloodstream infection rates in 727 intensive care units of 268 hospitals in 141 cities of 42 countries of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South East Asia, and Western Pacific Regions: International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) findings.

Background: Short-term peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (PVCR-BSI) rates have not been systematically studied in resource-limited countries, and data on their incidence by number of device days are not available.

Methods: Prospective, surveillance study on PVCR-BSI conducted from September 1, 2013, to May 31, 2019, in 727 intensive care units (ICUs), by members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC), from 268 hospitals in 141 cities of 42 countries of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South East Asia, and Western Pacific regions. For this research, we applied definition and criteria of the CDC NHSN, methodology of the INICC, and software named INICC Surveillance Online System.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 45 countries for 2012-2017: Device-associated module.

Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2012 to December 2017 in 523 intensive care units (ICUs) in 45 countries from Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific.

Methods: During the 6-year study period, prospective data from 532,483 ICU patients hospitalized in 242 hospitals, for an aggregate of 2,197,304 patient days, were collected through the INICC Surveillance Online System (ISOS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI) were applied.

Socioeconomic and therapy factor influence on self-reported fatigue, anxiety and depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Introduction: Fatigue, anxiety and depression are very frequent symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Goals: In this study we evaluated the influence of socioeconomic characteristics, therapy and comorbidities on the self-reported high fatigue, anxiety and depression in patients with RA.

Method: Multicenter cross-sectional study was performed in 22 health institutions in Serbia during the period from April-August 2014 in population of older RA patients.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium report, data summary of 50 countries for 2010-2015: Device-associated module.

Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2010-December 2015 in 703 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific.

Methods: During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 3,506,562 days.

Results: Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.

Molecular typing, pathogenicity factor genes and antimicrobial susceptibility of vancomycin resistant enterococci in Belgrade, Serbia.

In this study the distribution of species and antimicrobial resistance among vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) recovered from clinical specimens obtained from five hospitals in Belgrade was analyzed. Strains were further characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate the presence of vanA and vanB genes and pathogenicity factor genes.

Risk factors for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus colonization in hematologic patients.

Background/aim: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) is one of the most important hospital pathogens. The aim of the study was to evaluate VRE colonization in patients hospitalized at the Hematology Intensive Care Unit, as well as the associated risk factors.

Methods: A prospective cohort study involved 70 patients hospitalized at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Clinic for Hematology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, during 3 months.

Acinetobacter spp. colonization and infection risk factors in surgical patients.

Introduction: The results of numerous studies carried out over the last two decades have increasingly important cause of intrahospital infections (IHI). The aim of the study was to determine potential differences in distribution of individual risk factors between the group of patients in whom multiresistant Acinetobacter spp. was isolated and the group of patients in whom it was not.

[Risk factors for the appearance of central venous catheters colonisation].

Introduction/aim: Intravascular device placement (IVD) is a part of everyday medical practice, however, its application is associated with a high risk of onset of nosocomial infections (NI) and increased mortality and morbidity. Nosocomial blood infections (NBIs) account for 10% of all the registered NI. NBIs are more frequent in patients with a placed IVD and it present an important risk factor for the onset of NBI, i.

[Nosocomial infections in the intensive care units].

Background/aim: The risk for nosocomial infections (NIs) is 5-10 times higher in patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) than in patients staying in other wards. The higher incidence rates of NIs in the ICUs may be explained by the fact that the patients in the ICUs have more severe underlying disease, and are exposed to the invasive diagnostic and therapeutical procedures. The unreasonable use of antibiotics leads to the selection of multiresistant agents, which have been increasingly recorded as the NIs causative agents.