Half of ICU Patients Infected, Study Finds

Just over half of the intensive care patients in the world’s hospitals have infections, a study concludes. The study collected data on a single day on patients in 75 countries. Overall, 51% had infections on that day. The infection rates were lower in Africa (46%) and North America (48%). They ranged as high as 60% in Central and South America. People who stayed in an intensive care unit (ICU) longer were more likely to get infected. The infection rate was 70% for people who had been in an ICU longer than a week. People who had infections were twice as likely to die in the hospital. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it December 1.