Assessing the Impact of Hospital Stay on Antibiotic Use and Microbial Resistance in Wound Infections; A Retrospective Study

Hospital Stay Longevity, Antibiotic Consumption and AMR

Abstract

Wound infections arise when microorganisms, specifically bacteria, fungi, or viruses colonize and multiply within a wound, resulting in tissue damage and delayed healing. This study decisively investigates the patterns of antibiotic prescription for surgical wounds, antibiotic consumption, and the length of hospital stays. Conducted in the surgical wards of a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, the research evaluated the prescriptions of 120 patients diagnosed with surgical wounds and surgical site infections. The participant demographics revealed a balanced distribution, with 65 males (54.2%) and 55 females (45.8%). Patients were categorized by age as follows: 1-10 years (n=4), 11-20 years (n=15), 21-30 years (n=24), 31-40 years (n=23), 41-50 years (n=25), 51-60 years (n=13), 61-70 years (n=11), and 71-80 years (n=5). Participants hailed from various districts, including Peshawar (n=17), Kurram Agency (n=11), Khyber (n=11), Dir Lower (n=10), Karak (n=9), Charsadda (n=8), Nowshera (n=7), Kohat (n=6), Hangu (n=6), Rawalpindi (n=4), Mardan (n=4), Dera Ismail Khan (n=4), Swat (n=4), Shangla (n=4), Lakki Marwat (n=3), Bannu (n=1), Swabi (n=2), Sargodha (n=2), Barra (n=1), Bajaur (n=1), Dir Upper (n=1), and others (n=4). A total of 132 antibiotics were prescribed, with the following distribution: Cefoperazone + Sulbactam (n=41), Ceftriaxone (n=25), Linezolid (n=13), Co-Amoxiclav (n=31), Piperacillin + Tazobactam (n=15), and Moxifloxacin (n=7). The recorded duration of hospital stays further highlights the situation: 2 days (n=18, 15%), 3 days (n=38, 31.6%), 4 days (n=43, 35.8%), and 5 days (n=21, 17.5%). This study firmly underscores the urgent issue of high antibiotic consumption and its direct link to antimicrobial resistance, indicating that certain antibiotics are increasingly ineffective against prevalent pathogenic infections.