Hyderabad: ICU patients prone to fungal infections
Candida infections are mostly found in the ICUs and affect the oral cavity.
Hyderabad: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) occur in 17 per cent of the patients treated in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) as their immunity levels are low and they are not able to withstand the attack of pathogens.
The common fungal infections seen are Candida spp and Aspergiullus spp which were noted during a recent discussion on hospital infection control held by critical care specialists in the city.
It was found that patients who suffered from uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, HIV or had undergone organ transplant were highly susceptible to invasive fungal infections.
Dr Vishnu Rao, infectious disease consultant, said, “Fungal infections are noted in cancer patients who undergo several rounds of chemotherapy. The chances of their acquiring the infection are high as they have low count of white blood cells. Organ transplant patients are vulnerable to fungal infections as their immunity is suppressed to allow the body to accept the donated organ. Another category is of people who use high doses of steroids.”
The flare-up in the IFI is seen mostly when patients come with critical diseases and it becomes very important for the intensive care units to have a proper infection control in place.
Candida infections are mostly found in the ICUs and affect the oral cavity. If not detected in time, it can prove to be fatal as the blood gets infected.
Dr A.V. Ratnam, a senior hospital administrator, said the infection control methods have to be monitored from time to time. “Despite the highly sterile safety zones, the large patient footfall makes the ICUs a hotbed for infections. For this reason, the swabs at the ICUs have to be taken every week and tested.”
Experts said that in serious illnesses the major challenges noted are prolonged use of catheters, use of different levels of antibiotics to treat the infection, and ensuring that the paramedical staff adheres to the infection control protocol.
It has been found that these centres require a strict regime of sterilisation of devices, use of N95 and 99 masks to ensure that the risk of infection is minimised.