El espectro de la candidiasis en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva

Candidiasis has become an infection with a rising prevalence and incidence in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) within the last years, associated with a high mortality. Risk factors associated with this infection include immunocompromised patients, use of broad spectrum antibiotics, malnutrition, multiple blood transfusions, invasions, prolonged ICU stay. Clinical manifestations are those related to candidemia and specific or systemic organ involvement, but persistent fever in the presence of specific risk factors, is the cardinal sign. Its diagnosis poses a challenge due to the lack of a specific and highly sensitive method, which is why several diagnostic indexes have been developed. These days, there are different therapeutic strategies, used accordingly to the clinical scenario, with the use of antifungals such as poliens, azoles and/or echinocandins. Recently, resistant strains have been described, especially non albicans Candida species, which is why, in order to optimize treatment, it is of the most importance to identify and determine the sensitivity of the causal agent. The intention of this review is to alert the Medica Sur Clinical Foundation’s medical community about this severe emerging infection in the ICU patients.