BACKGROUNDLung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Surgical resection is still the first choice of treatment for most lung cancer patients. The prognosis of lung cancer after surgical treatment is correlated to many factors. One of them is nosocomial infection. This study is to investigate the distribution of the pathogens causing nosocomial infection and its correlative factors in patients with lung cancer.

METHODSOne hundred and thirteen cases that had hospital-acquired infection out of 1227 surgically treated patients with lung cancer were analyzed statistically.

RESULTSOf all the pathogenic species, the most prevalent species were Gram-negative bacteria with average positive detection of 64.03% (299/467). The second were Gram-positive bacteria (145/467, 31.05%) and the third were fungi (23/467, 4.92%). The results of drug sensitivity tests showed that all of strains had higher resistance rate. The rate of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) was very high. The incidence of nosocomial infection was seriously correlated with age, fatness, long smoking history, complicated diseases such as diabetes, damaged renal function and using time of mechanical ventilation over 24 hours.

CONCLUSIONSThe nosocomial infection of lung cancer patients after surgical treatment is seriously correlated with patient's age, fatness, long smoking history, complicated diseases such as diabetes, damaged renal function and using time of mechanical ventilation over 24 hours. More attentions should be paid to the pathogenic species and its correlative factors of nosocomial infection in lung cancer patients. The resistance of bacteria to the commonly used antibiotics is produced in various degrees. During clinical therapy with antibiotics, antibiotics should be selected according to the results of drug sensitivity tests. In order to reduce the production of drug-resistance, the appropriate use of antibiotics must be strengthened.