P-31 Prevalence of catheter-related bloodstream infections in hemodialysis patients at Georgetown Public hospital, Guyana: a retrospective analysis (2023)

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 180 patients at GPHC from January to December 2023 using patient records who met specific inclusion criteria to identify cases of CRBSIs. Data was collected retrospectively and stored in an encrypted spreadsheet. SPSS-20 software version was used for data analysis. Ethical considerations and procedures were duly respected.

Results: The study population was predominantly aged 50 and above (64.4%) with a slight male majority (52.8%). The prevalence rate of suspected CRBSIs was 10.6%. Microbiological analysis revealed that Gram-positive bacteria, specifically the Staphylococcus genus, were the primary pathogens (66.7%), with Staphylococcus epidermidis being the most frequent isolate (33.3%). The overall mortality rate was 8.3%, with Uremia (50.0%) identified as the leading cause of death. Logistic regression identified the duration of hospitalization as the strongest clinical trend associated with infection risk (OR=1.064, p=0.061), suggesting a 6.4% increase in infection odds for each additional day of stay. Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed 100% sensitivity to Vancomycin, Clindamycin, Linezolid, and Imipenem, while high resistance was noted for Ampicillin (100%) and Erythromycin (83.3%). Notably, four cases of Methicillin resistance were documented.

Conclusion: CRBSIs remain a critical challenge at GPHC, with a prevalence of 10.6% and a high degree of antibiotic resistance among common isolates. While Vancomycin remains highly effective, the presence of Methicillin resistance and the correlation between hospitalization length and infection risk highlight the need for stringent catheter care protocols and reduced hospitalization times to mitigate infection rates.