Hospitalization increases risk of multidrug-resistant infections

A new study has revealed that if a patient contracts an infection while in the hospital, each day of hospitalization increases by 1 % the likelihood that the infection will be multidrug-resistant.

A new study has revealed that if a patient contracts an infection while in the hospital, each day of hospitalization increases by 1 % the likelihood that the infection will be multidrug-resistant.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina gathered and analyzed historical data from 949 documented cases of Gram-negative infection at their academic medical center.

The study showed that in the first few days of hospitalization the percentage of infections associated with Gram-negative bacteria classified as multidrug-resistant was about 20 % and rose fairly steadily until four or five days, then jumped dramatically, peaking at over 35 % at 10 days.