EPIDEMIOLOGIC PATTERNS OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS IN 10 OKLAHOMA HOSPITALS

The epidemiology of nosocomial infections was studied for 5 years in 1 0 Oklahoma hospitals. These were categorized into small and large hosp itals. The seven small hospitals averaged 47 beds and the three large hospitals averaged 266 beds. Overall, most of the infected patients we re <5 years or >60 years of age. Females accounted for the majority of the infections. In general, the three most common sites of infection were the urinary tract, surgical wounds, and the lower respiratory tra ct. Escherichia coli was the single most frequently identified agent f ollowed by Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The m ost frequently reported risk factors among patients acquiring a nosoco mial infection were the use of prior antibiotics, indwelling urinary c atheters, and intravenous catheters or cutdown. The specific problems associated with nosocomial infections, such as sites of infection, ris ks of infection, and the types of organisms isolated, essentially had not changed much since the 1960s, the 1970s, and for most of the 1980s .