Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the etiology, risk factors, and patterns of antimicrobial resistance of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) in patients admitted with sepsis. Methods: In this observational study, 100 septic patients hospitalized in a general ICU were selected. Demographic, clinical, and outcome data were obtained by chart review. Antibiotic resistance/susceptibility was determined using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) technique. Results: A UTI was present in 28 (28) patients; the mate to female ratio was 19:9 and the mean age of the patients was 58.71 +/- 19.45 years. From the total of 28 isolates, 27 were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 23 to amikacin, 27 to meropenem, 28 to cefepime, 26 to ceftazidime, and 27 to ceftriaxone. Conclusions: On the basis of our results, the rate of multidrug-resistant UTIs may be very high in some ICUs in patients admitted with sepsis. This antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance should be determined, and a special antimicrobial treatment protocol should be planned basedon the results for each ICU. The use of antibiotics for treating UTIs should be guided only through this protocol because of the different spectra of pathogens and susceptibility patterns in each ICU. (C) 2007 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.