To analyze the distribution and drug susceptibility of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in patients admitted to a tertiary hospital and to guide rational drug application in clinical practice.

Conventional pathogen isolation was performed for clinical specimens collected from January 2012 to December 2014, and pathogen identification was performed by VITEK-2 automatic bacterial identification system and susceptibility analyser.

Total of 7 579 pathogen isolates were obtained, including 3 223 MDR bacteria, among which extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-ECO) accounted for the greatest proportion with 40.8%, followed by MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PA) with 19.45%. MDR bacteria were mainly identified from sputum specimens (2 056 isolates, 63.89%), followed by secretion specimens (414 isolates, 12.8%) and urine specimens (369 isolates, 11.45%). MDR Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) was detected most frequently in sputum specimens (550 isolates, 26.7%), whereas ESBL-ECO was detected most frequently in urine, blood, secretion and pus specimens. Infections with MDR bacteria were primarily found in various types of intensive care units (ICUs) (53.94%), followed by departments of neurology (14.96%) and respiratory medicine (8.75%).

Patients with MDR bacterial infections were widely distributed throughout our hospital, particularly in various types of ICUs. Strengthening the monitoring of drug-resistant pathogens is critical for guiding the rational clinical application of antibiotics and slowing the development of multi-drug resistance in bacteria.