Patient selection: burn patients in an intensive care unit (ICU)
Outcome: colonization or infection with multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
Risk factors associated with the patient:
(1) older age (>= 55 years)
(2) more severe burns (greater surface area, full thickness, higher abbreviated burn severity index)
(3) more severely ill (higher SOFA score, higher APACHE II score)
(4) burns located on the head and neck
The sicker the patient the greater the risk of exposure (more days mechanical ventilation, longer ICU stay, etc).
Risk factors associated with lapses in infection control:
(1) failure to rigorously enforce contact precautions
(2) failure to clean extensively
