The origins and timing of inpatient room sink contamination with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs) are poorly understood.

We performed a prospective observational study to describe the timing, rate, and frequency of CRO contamination of in-room handwashing sinks in 2 intensive care units (ICU) in a newly constructed hospital bed tower. Study units, A and B, were opened to patient care in succession. The patients in unit A were moved to a new unit in the same bed tower, unit B. Each unit was similarly designed with 26 rooms and in-room sinks. Microbiological samples were taken every 4 weeks from 3 locations from each study sink: the top of the bowl, the drain cover, and the p-trap. The primary outcome was sink conversion events (SCEs), defined as CRO contamination of a sink in which CRO had not previously been detected.

Sink samples were obtained 22 times from September 2020 to June 2022, giving 1,638 total environmental cultures. In total, 2,814 patients were admitted to study units while sink sampling occurred. We observed 35 SCEs (73%) overall; 9 sinks (41%) in unit A became contaminated with CRO by month 10, and all 26 sinks became contaminated in unit B by month 7. Overall, 299 CRO isolates were recovered; the most common species were Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

CRO contamination of sinks in 2 newly constructed ICUs was rapid and cumulative. Our findings support in-room sinks as reservoirs of CRO and emphasize the need for prevention strategies to mitigate contamination of hands and surfaces from CRO-colonized sinks.

住院室水槽被碳青霉烯类抗性微生物 (CRO) 污染的起源和时间尚不清楚。

我们进行了一项前瞻性观察研究，以描述新建病床塔内 2 个重症监护室 (ICU) 室内洗手池 CRO 污染的时间、速率和频率。研究单位 A 和 B 相继开放接受患者护理。A 单元的患者被转移到同一床塔的新单元 B 单元。每个单元的设计类似，有 26 个房间和室内水槽。每 4 周从每个研究水槽的 3 个位置采集微生物样本：碗顶部、排水盖和 p 型存水弯。主要结果是汇转换事件 (SCE)，定义为以前未检测到 CRO 的汇的 CRO 污染。

从 2020 年 9 月到 2022 年 6 月，共获取了 22 次水槽样本，总共获得了 1,638 个环境培养物。在进行水槽抽样时，总共有 2,814 名患者入住研究单位。我们总共观察到 35 个 SCE（73%）；到第 10 个月，A 单元的 9 个水槽 (41%) 被 CRO 污染，到第 7 个月，B 单元的所有 26 个水槽都被 CRO 污染。总体而言，回收了 299 个 CRO 分离株；最常见的菌种是阴沟肠杆菌和铜绿假单胞菌。

2 个新建 ICU 水槽中的 CRO 污染迅速且累积。我们的研究结果支持室内水槽是 CRO 的储存库，并强调需要制定预防策略，以减轻 CRO 定植水槽对手和表面的污染。