Demand for care and nosocomial infection rate during the first influenza AH1N1 2009 virus outbreak at a referral hospital in Mexico City.

OBJECTIVE Comparison of routine hospital indicators (consults at the Emergency Room (ER) and hospital admissions) during the 2009 pandemic of the influenza AH1N1 virus at the national referral hospital for respiratory diseases in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS The outbreak was from April to mid-May 2009 and two control periods were used:2009 (before and after the outbreak),and during April-May from 2007 and 2008. RESULTS During the outbreak total consultation at the ER increased six times compared with the 2007-2008 control period and 11 times compared with the 2009 control period. Pneumonia- or influenza-related ER consultations increased 23.2 and 15.3%, respectively. The rate of nosocomial infection during the outbreak was 13.6 and that of nosocomial pneumonia was 6 per/100 hospital discharges, a two-fold and three-fold increase compared to the control periods respectively. CONCLUSIONS During the outbreak,mean severity of admitted patients increased,with a rise in in-hospital mortality and nosocomial infections rate, including nosocomial pneumonia.