Elderly patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) are about 35% more likely to die within five years of leaving the hospital if they develop an infection during their stay, a new study finds.

Preventing two of the most common health care-associated infections – bloodstream infections caused by central lines and pneumonia caused by ventilators – can increase the odds that these patients survive and reduce the cost of their care by more than $150,000, according to a study published in the January 2015 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.