OBJECTIVE  To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and transmission factors of a suspected outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii （CRAB） infections in the department of respiratory and critical care medicine of a hospital.

METHODS  An epidemiological investigation and environmental hygiene monitoring were conducted on 10 cases of hospital-associated CRAB infections that occurred in the department of respiratory and critical care medicine from Jun. 1, 2023, to Jun. 17, 2023, and bundled management measures were implemented for intervention.

RESULTS  The 10 patients infected with CRAB had severe underlying diseases; the infections occurred in a relatively concentrated area, exhibiting obvious clustered epidemiological characteristics. A series of factors were identified as contributing to the increased risk of cross-transmission, including the temporary addition of beds, lack of fixed medical staff grouping, inadequate implementation of contact precautions, inadequate environmental cleaning and disinfection, misuse of disposable plastic gloves and poor hand hygiene compliance. A total of 67 sampling sites were monitored for hand hygiene and environmental hygiene, with an overall, the hands of family members pass rate of 38.80%. CRAB was detected at eight sites, including the buttons of the water dispenser, bed rails, medical pendant, ventilator surfaces and the hands and work uniforms of medical staff, with a high degree of consistency in their drug susceptibility profiles with those isolated from patients. After initiating the outbreak emergency response plan, the incident was effectively controlled through bundled management measures, including closed management, zoning isolation of patients, fixed grouping of diagnosis, treatment and nursing by medical staff, enhanced cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces and equipment, strict hand hygiene and use of disposable gloves, etc.

CONCLUSIONS  The primary causes of this suspected outbreak of infections are the failure to promptly identify CRAB infections at an early stage and implement contact precautions, the lack of fixed medical staff grouping, treatment and nursing by medical staff, poor hand hygiene compliance and inadequate cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces. Early identification of hospital-associated infections and the implementation of bundled prevention and control measures can effectively control outbreaks of such infections.