Pattern of multidrug resistant bacteria associated with intensive care unit infections in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Patients admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) usually have impaired immunity and are therefore at high risk of acquiring hospital associated infections. Infections caused by multidrug resistant organisms now constitute a major problem, limiting the choice of antimicrobial therapy.Objectives: This study was aimed at determining the antimicrobial resistance pattern of pathogens causing ICU infections in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. The aetiological agents, prevalence and types ICU infections were also determined.Methods: One year hospital associated infections surveillance was conducted in the ICU of UCH, Ibadan. Blood, urine, tracheal aspirate and wound biopsies specimens were collected under strict asepsis and sent to the Medical Microbiology laboratory of the same institution for immediate processing. All pathogens were isolated and identified by standard microbiological methods. Disk diffusion antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed and interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.Results: The overall prevalence of ICU infections was 30.9% out of which 12.9% were bloodstream infections, 31.5% urinary tract infections, 38.9% pneumonia, and 16.7% skin and soft tissue infections. Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli were the predominant pathogens. Multidrug resistant organisms constituted 59.3% of the pathogens, MDR Klebsiella spp and MDR E. coli were 70.8% and 71.4% respectively. Resistance to Cefuroxime was the highest (92.9%) while Meropenem had the least resistance (21.4%).Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria causing ICU infections. Application of more stringent infection control procedures and institution of functional antimicrobial stewardship are recommended to combat this problem.Keywords: Healthcare associated infections, Infection control, Antibiotic resistance, Intensive care uni

Synthesis and characterization of porous polymer-based adsorbents for CO2 capture [Poster]

Synthesis and characterization of porous polymer-based adsorbents for CO2 capture [Poster

Nitrogen-rich hyper-crosslinked polymers for low-pressure CO2 capture

A series of poly[methacrylamide-co-(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)] (poly(MAAM-co-EGDMA)) porous polymeric particles with high CO2-philicity, referred to as HCP-MAAMs, were synthesised for CO2 capture. The polymers with a MAAM-to-EGDMA molar ratio from 0.3 to 0.9 were inherently nitrogen-enriched and exhibited a high affinity towards selective CO2 capture at low pressures. A techno-economic model based on a 580 MWel supercritical coal-fired power plant scenario was developed to evaluate the performance of the synthesised adsorbents. The presence and density of NH2 moieties within the polymer network were determined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the polymers were thermally stable up to 515–532 K. The maximum CO2 adsorption capacity at 273 K was 1.56 mmol/g and the isosteric heat of adsorption was 28–35 kJ/mol. An increase in the density of amide groups within the polymer network resulted in a higher affinity towards CO2 at low pressure. At a CO2:N2 ratio of 15:85, CO2/N2 selectivity at 273 K was 52 at 1 bar and reached 104 at ultra-low CO2 partial pressure. The techno-economic analysis revealed that retrofitting a HCP-MAAM-based CO2 capture system led to a net energy penalty of 7.7–8.0%HHV points, which was noticeably lower than that reported for MEA or chilled ammonia scrubbing capture systems. The specific heat requirement was superior to the majority of conventional solvents such as MDEA-PZ and K2CO3. Importantly, the economic performance of the HCP-MAAM retrofit scenario was found to be competitive to chemical solvent scrubbing scenarios