Risk factors of nosocomial infection in patients underwent artificial liver support system: a retrospective case-control study.

Background: Although nosocomial infection is one of the most discussed problems in patients undergoing artificial liver support system (ALSS) treatment, only few solutions have been proposed so far. This study aimed to explore the risk factors of nosocomial infection in patients treated with ALSS in order to aid in the development of future preventive measures.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study included patients treated with ALSS at the Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital of xxx Medical University between January 2016 and December 2021.

Results: One hundred seventy-four patients were included. There were 57 patients in the nosocomial infection group and 117 patients in the non-nosocomial infection group, of them 127 males (72.99%) and 47 females (27.01%) with an average age of 48.15 ± 14.19 years old. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that total bilirubin [odds ratio (OR) = 1.004; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.001-1.007; P  = 0.020], number of invasive procedures (OR = 2.161; 95% CI, 1.500-3.313; P  < 0.001), blood transfusion (OR = 2.526; 95% CI, 1.312-4.864; P  = 0.006) were independent risk factors and haemoglobin (Hb) (OR = 0.973; 95% CI, 0.953-0.994; P  = 0.011) was a protective factor for nosocomial infection in patients treated with ALSS.

Conclusion: The total bilirubin, transfusion of blood products and higher number of invasive operations were independent risk factors for nosocomial infection in patients treated with ALSS, while higher Hb was a protective factor.