Bloodstream infections acquired during a hospital stay due to the use of a catheter are prevalent across ICUs in India and are often caused by microbes having a high level of antibiotic resistance, according to a study led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Antibiotic resistance -- in which antibiotic drugs are rendered ineffective because disease-causing microbes have become immune to them -- can extend one's hospital stay and treatment costs, adding stress to a public healthcare system.

Estimates published in The Lancet Global Health journal show that on average, around nine bloodstream infection events occur every 1,000 days that a central line -- a catheter inserted in a patient's large vein instead of an intravenous line -- was in place in the intensive care units (ICUs) of Indian hospitals.