The authors provide a synthesis of the medical literature on Acinetobacter baumannii, a chronology of our efforts to control the outbreak, and recommendations for responding to A baumannii infections in ICU settings.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a troublesome and increasingly problematic healthcare-associated pathogen, especially in critical care.1,–4 It may be associated with hospital-acquired infections with considerable clinical and economic costs. In physiologically compromised patients, morbidity and mortality are common sequelae of hospital-acquired infections.4 –7 Hence, multiple professional organizations have identified multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens as a critical target that requires intervention (Tables 1 and 2).

Our experience with managing an outbreak of MDR A baumannii in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) prompted an evidence-based review of the literature, which resulted in few findings. Key elements of outbreak control and nursing care interventions associated with this resistant strain had not been identified. In this...

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