Multinational Prospective Cohort Study of Mortality Risk Factors in 198 ICUs of 12 Latin American Countries over 24 Years: The Effects of Healthcare-Associated Infections

Background: The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) has found a high ICU mortality rate in Latin America. Methods: A prospective cohort study in 198 ICUs of 96 hospitals in 46 cities in 12 Latin American countries to identify mortality risk factors (RF), and data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Between 07/01/1998 and 02/12/2022, 71,685 patients, followed during 652,167 patient-days, acquired 4700 HAIs, and 10,890 died. We prospectively collected data of 16 variables. Following 11 independent mortality RFs were identified in multiple logistic regression: ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) acquisition (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.06–1.30; p < 0.0001); catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) acquisition (aOR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.15–1.56; p < 0.0001); older age, rising risk 2% yearly (aOR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02; p < 0.0001); longer indwelling central line(CL)-days, rising risk 3% daily (aOR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02–1.03; p < 0.0001); longer indwelling urinary catheter(UC)-days, rising risk 1% daily (aOR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.26; p < 0.0001); higher mechanical ventilation (MV) (aOR = 6.47; 95% CI: 5.96–7.03; p < 0.0001) and urinary catheter-utilization ratio (aOR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.11–1.27; p < 0.0001); lower-middle level income country (aOR = 2.94; 95% CI: 2.10–4.12; p < 0.0001); private (aOR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.27–1.77; p < 0.0001) or public hospital (aOR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.24–1.74; p < 0.0001) compared with university hospitals; medical hospitalization instead of surgical (aOR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.59–1.75; p < 0.0001); neurologic ICU (aOR = 4.48; 95% CI: 2.68–7.50; p < 0.0001); adult oncology ICU (aOR = 3.48; 95% CI: 2.14–5.65; p < 0.0001); and others. Conclusion: Some of the identified mortality RFs are unlikely to change, such as the income level of the country, facility ownership, hospitalization type, ICU type, and age. But some of the mortality RFs we found can be changed, and efforts should be made to reduce CL-days, UC-days, MV-utilization ratio, UC-utilization ratio, and lower VAPs and CAUTI rates.