Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in developing and developed countries: a systematic review

In the global context, healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are the most prevalent outcome of substandard patient care. There is a lack of data from developing regions, except for developing countries such as China and India, where reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrate a more substantial presence. This systematic review aims to investigate geographical disparities in HCAI occurrence in developing and developed countries. It also focuses on healthcare-associated infections, especially infectious endocarditis (IE) from implantable cardiac devices in high-income countries. A literature review was conducted according to a pre-designed protocol. A search was performed in Embase, Ovid Medline, and PubMed for reports published between 2000 and 2024. No language restrictions were applied, and older, highly cited studies were retained. The search process retrieved 6,928 abstracts, of which 263 met eligibility criteria. The primary endpoint was to ascertain extant empirical research on the epidemiology of HCAIs in developing countries, with a focus on bacterial infections. The secondary endpoint investigated infections associated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) in developed countries. The primary endpoint revealed a HCAI rate in adult ICUs that is at least three times the USA rate. Surgical site infections were the most prevalent type of infection, with rates significantly higher than in developed countries. Gram-negative bacilli caused the most hospital infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was detected in many cases. The secondary endpoint demonstrated that Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for approximately one-third of healthcare-associated IE cases. In the United States, the percentage increased from 24% to 32%. Healthcare-associated IE carries a higher in-hospital mortality rate than community-acquired IE (31.1% vs. 20.3%; p < 0.01). Comparisons between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement are few and mixed. Large national registries and pooled PARTNER-trial data show comparable IE rates for both procedures. CIEDs-IE have a lower three-year survival rate (53.8% vs. 33% for pacemakers, 47.7% vs. 31.6% for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and 50.8% vs. 36.5% for cardiac resynchronization therapy). Surveillance HCAIs is essential for tracking disease and evaluating interventions. Focusing on key procedural steps can improve adherence and intervention impact. IE after TAVR and CIED is rare but severe, with high in-hospital mortality.