Estratégias para o controlo de infeção em unidades de cuidados intensivos: uma breve revisão

Abstract

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are highly vulnerable to nosocomial infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida auris. Also, ICU acquired infections caused by MDRO have worse outcomes that the ones causes by organisms that are susceptible to antimicrobials and for that reason MDRO's infections are particularly worrying and require extra efforts for its preventions and control. General strategies of infection control include hand hygiene, environment cleaning and disinfection, isolation, patient's decolonization and decontamination and antimicrobial stewardship. The impact of each of these measures varies with the pathogen involved, the staff adherence and with the clinical context. However, these general strategies are fundamental for infection control, even though new promising strategies are being created. This work intends to be a short revision of prevention and control strategies of infection by MDRO particularly important in ICU based on the most current epidemiological data and recommendations.