Introduction: Multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-Ab) infections are an important healthcare problem globally. The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with MDR-Ab infections in hospitalized patients in Turkey.
Methodology: A case-control study was performed in a tertiary care 1,303-bed university hospital, among case patients with MDR-Ab infections. The hospital records of case and control patients were retrospectively evaluated over a year. Patients who were hospitalized in the same department and in the same time interval as the case patients, without MDR-Ab infection or colonization, were chosen for control group. Demographic characteristics, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, comorbid diseases, use of invasive tools and duration of usage, and duration of use of antibiotics were recorded for all patients. Comparisons between case and control groups for possible risk factors were performed.
Results: In total, 95 cases and 95 controls were included in the study. Univariate analysis highlighted several variables as risk factors for MDR-Ab infections. Multivariate analysis showed that only antibiotic usage over seven days (OR = 2.38, CI = 1.18-4.83, p = 0.016) was found to be a significant risk factor. When antibiotic treatment patterns in both groups were compared, the use of carbapenems (p = 0.001) and glycopeptide antibiotics (p=0.001) in patient treatment were found significantly higher in the MDR-Ab case group.
Conclusion: This study showed us that previous antibiotic use is a significant risk factor for MDR-Ab infections. The use of carbapenems and glycopeptides should be considered as primary risk factors for developing MDR-Ab infection.