Healthcare-associated infection trends in Chilean hospitals
Abstract:
Background: Healthcare-associated infections remain a major patient safety challenge in hospital settings. Surveillance systems provide monitoring, but few studies integrate long-term trends in infection risk and outcomes with measures of system capacity and emergency investment.
Methods: We conducted a descriptive analysis of national HAI surveillance data from Chilean public hospitals spanning 2017-2022, reported in accordance with STROBE guidelines. Indicators included HAI prevalence, device utilization ratios, incidence densities for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), VAP case fatality rates, and outbreak reports. Emergency health investment data were integrated to explore temporal patterns before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: HAI prevalence remained stable over six years. However, device utilization increased during 2020-2021, with corresponding rises in device-associated infection rates, particularly VAP. VAP case fatality rates increased in 2020-2021, reversing pre-pandemic declines. Periods of rapid expansion in critical care capacity coincided with higher outbreak reports.
Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, device-associated infections and infection-related severity increased despite stable HAI prevalence. By linking surveillance data with indicators of system capacity and emergency investment, this study helps explain how large-scale system disruptions affect infection risk and patient outcomes. Strengthening infection prevention alongside surge planning remains essential.
Reference:
Lara C, Kappe M, Chandia P, Osorio K, Ferreira-Umpiérrez FU, Brotons de Los Reyes P. Six-Year Trends in Healthcare-Associated Infections in Chilean Hospitals: A National Surveillance Analysis (2017-2022). Am J Infect Control. 2026 Apr 21:S0196-6553(26)00405-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2026.04.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42025849.