hospital-acquired infections in elderly versus younger patients in an acute care hospital

conclusions the study showed that hais were more frequent in elderly population predominately with respect to vap and infections by gram-negative pathogens. overall mortally was greater in the elderly group although the odds ratio for death was higher in younger patients and increased with every hai diagnosed. patients and methods retrospective analysis of all hospital-acquired infections (hais) in an academic community hospital. patients were stratified into two groups: non-elderly (18 - 64 years) and elderly (> 65 years). results a total of 18469 patients were included (108555 hospital days) in this study. about 79.6% of hai were infected non-elderly and 20.3% elderly (p < 0.0001) patients. higher infection rates for ventilator-associated pneumonia (vap), secondary bacteremia, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections were noted for elderly as well as a higher frequency of positive cultures for gram-negative bacteria, particularly klebsiella spp. and fungal infections (p > 0.05). hospital mortality increased with every hai diagnosed per patient. background a growing number of elderly patients are hospitalized for various causes and age has been described inconsistently as a risk factor for acquiring nosocomial infections with a subsequent higher mortality rate compared to younger patients. objectives to describe the incidence, type, and microbiological characteristics of nosocomial infections in elderly and non-elderly patients.