Abstract
The recent trend in the early admittance to long-term care facilities (LTCFs) of severely injured patients transferred from general hospitals has given a new dynamic to the incidence of healthcare-associated infections, including biofilm-based infections related to the implant of urinary and intravascular catheters, and the onset of pressure ulcers. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections lead in most of the surveys on LTCFs, approximately 80% of urinary tract infections in these settings being due to the short- or long-term insertion of a urinary catheter. Furthermore, the implantation of intravascular catheters is often responsible for catheter-related bloodstream infections caused by the development of an intraluminal biofilm. Pressure ulcers, frequently occurring in bedridden patients admitted to LTCFs, are also susceptible to infection by biofilm-growing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, the biofilm formation on the wound being the main reason for its delayed healing.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 175-188 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Future Microbiology |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2014 |
Keywords
- biofilm
- infection
- intravascular catheter
- long-term care facilities
- pressure ulcer
- urinary catheter
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Microbiology (medical)