Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects on Healthcare-Associated Infections with Acinetobacter spp. in a Neurosurgery Hospital in North-East Romania.

Background and Objectives: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are on the rise worldwide because the range of etiologic agents involved is very diverse and their antimicrobial resistance poses a threat to population health in the third millennium. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, descriptive clinical-epidemiological study in a hospital with a neurosurgical profile in northeastern Romania ("Prof. Dr. N. Oblu" Clinical Emergency Hospital in Iasi), during 2020-2024. The study is centered on the involvement of Acinetobacter spp. in the occurrence and evolution of HAIs. Results: The highest incidence of Acinetobacter spp. HAIs was recorded in the intensive care unit (ICU)-82.78% compared to neurosurgical wards (15.38%), with predominance in males (69.23%) and rural residence patients (55.67%). Most HAIs were represented by ventilator-associated pneumonia (42.13%) and lower respiratory tract infections (23.08%). Strains with high virulence and pathogenicity (CR-MDR, ESBL-MDR) were found, with the highest proportion of CR-MDR strains (88.27%). Conclusions: Our study provides useful data for surveillance of the antimicrobial resistance of pathogens involved in HAIs at the hospital level and for guiding antibiotic therapy in hospital-acquired infections.