Researchers studied 374 patients admitted to surgical ICUs at a university hospital during August and October 2017. They performed VRE screening within 48 hours after admission and directly before discharge.
Of the 374 patients, 89.8 percent were screened on admission and 71.7 percent on discharge. Nine patients were admitted with previously known VRE colonization, and 12 were VRE positive on admission. During ICU stay, eight additional patients were colonized with VRE.
Risk factors significantly associated with VRE acquisition were:
• Median length of stay in the ICU
• Long-term dialysis
• Antibiotic treatment with flucloxacillin or piperacillin/tazobactam
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