BACKGROUND

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, especially , have become a severe global problem with a significant threat to public health, but few studies have investigated the risk factors and epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant (CRKP) infections in India.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective observational study of 224 participants with who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, India, between January 1 and December 30, 2020. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by automated broth microdilution VITEK 2 (BioMerieux, Inc., Hazelwood, USA). The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document M100-S22 (January 2020) was used to interpret antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Data were obtained from paper medical records.

RESULTS

Two hundred and twenty-four subjects with culture-positive for were retrieved during the study period, out of which 108 had CRKP. The risk factors for univariate analysis were Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, ICU length of stay (LOS), invasive mechanical ventilator days, central venous catheter days, and arterial line days. The multivariate analysis showed invasive mechanical ventilation and ICU LOS were independent risk factors for CRKP infection. Mortality in the CRKP group was 48 (44%) compared to 27 (23%) in the carbapenem-sensitive (CSKP) group, which was statistically significant ( < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Infection due to CRKP in the ICU was associated with 1.9 times higher mortality as compared to CSKP. Invasive mechanical ventilation and ICU LOS were found to be independent risk factors for CRKP infection.