Abstract

HERNANDEZ CUELLAR, Lidia Rosa; GAMEZ VELAZCO, Amelia; GOMEZ VALDES, Ada  and  PEREZ HERNANDEZ, Librada. Considerations on intrahospital sepsis in a geriatric service. Rev Cubana Enfermer [online]. 2005, vol.21, n.2, pp.1-1. ISSN 0864-0319.

A longitudinal and descriptive study on intrahospital sepsis at the geriatrics service of "León Cuervo Rubio" Hospital, in Pinar del Río, Cuba, was conducted during 2002 and 2003. The objective was to describe its behavior after demanding the accomplishment of a series of measures directed to reduce it in the last year. Of the 497 patients admitted in the service in 2002, 34 were studied, whereas of the 571 patients hospitalized in 2003, 17 were analyzed. All of them had the diagnosis of intrahospital sepsis. The following data were taken from the medical histories and from the register of intrahospital sepsis for their analysis: age, length of stay, frequency of venous and urinary catheterization, presence of respiratory sepsis and cost per stay. The results were expressed in percentages. It was found that the age group 76-80 presented the highest number of cases in 2002 and 2003. Most of the patients in 2002 had a hospital stay between 16 and 21 days. In 2003, the stay of most of the patients was from 6 to 10 days. The most common type of catheterization used in both groups was the vesical catheter. Phlebitis and urinary sepsis predominated in the two studied years. It was obtained a saving per hospital stay of $689.01 a year after the measures taken by the nursing personnel.

Keywords : Geriatrics Service; intrahospital sepsis; patients; hospital.