Nosocomial infections in an intensive care unit

A total of 676 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur between January 1989 and March 1990. Fifty-one hospital-acquired infections were recorded, giving a rate of 7.6%. The most frequent site of infection was the respiratory tract (41.2%), followed by the urinary tract (27.5%). Most of the pathogens were gram-negative bacilli (71%). The three most common pathogens were Klebsiella species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.