AI Article Synopsis

  • This study investigates how COVID-19 infection control measures affected healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) in hematology units from 2019 to 2020.
  • The researchers found that while the rates of infections from vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) stayed the same, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) rates increased significantly after the pandemic began.
  • Contrarily, common respiratory virus (cRV) infections decreased dramatically during the same period, highlighting the effectiveness of COVID-19 control measures but also indicating a need for specific strategies to tackle CDI and protect vulnerable patients.

Article Abstract

Background/aims: Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, hospitals have implemented infection control measures to minimize the spread of the virus within facilities. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) and common respiratory virus (cRV) infections in hematology units.

Methods: This retrospective study included all patients hospitalized in Catholic Hematology Hospital between 2019 and 2020. Patients infected with vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), and cRV were analyzed. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) methods and interrupted time series analyses were performed to compare the incidence rates before and after the pandemic.

Results: The incidence rates of CPE and VRE did not differ between the two periods. However, the incidence of CDI increased significantly (IRR: 1.41 [p = 0.002]) after the COVID-19 pandemic. The incidence of cRV infection decreased by 76% after the COVID-19 outbreak (IRR: 0.240 [p < 0.001]). The incidence of adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, and rhinovirus infection significantly decreased in the COVID-19 period (IRRs: 0.087 [p = 0.003], 0.031 [p < 0.001], and 0.149 [p < 0.001], respectively).

Conclusion: The implementation of COVID-19 infection control measures reduced the incidence of cRV infection. However, CDI increased significantly and incidence rates of CPE and VRE remained unchanged in hematological patients after the pandemic. Infection control measures suitable for each type of HCAI, such as stringent hand washing for CDI and enough isolation capacities, should be implemented and maintained in future pandemics, especially in immunocompromised patients.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11076895PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2023.508DOI Listing

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