Nosocomial infections in the general pediatric wards of a hospital in Turkey

SUMMARY: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence, type, and clinical features of nosocomial infections (NIs), their etiological distribution, and the antibiotic resistance patterns of causative organisms in the general pediatric wards of a hospital in Turkey over a 3-year period. The Hospital Infection Control Committee NI surveillance reports were used as a database. NIs were detected in 171 (2.25z) of the 7,594 hospitalized patients. Some of these patients experienced more than 1 episode, and thus, the total NI episodes were 229. Patients' age varied from 1 to 144 months (mean± standard deviation, 14.5± 23.6 months). The NI rate was 3.02z, and the NI density was 3.17/1,000 patient days. The most frequent NIs were lower respiratory system infections, blood stream infections, and urinary tract infections. Gram-negative organisms were the most frequently isolated agents. Of the 171 patients with NIs, 47 (27.5z )d ied. Nosocomial infections (NIs) are the major causes of prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, the increased resistance of organisms to antimicrobials, and mortality in hospitalized adults and children. NIs in pediatric and adult patients differ with respect to the sites of infection and the types of pathogens. In addition, NIs differ by country, region, hospital, and type of units, such as wards or intensive care units (1). There exist many reports on epidemiology, risk factors, and preventive measures for adult NIs. However, studies that focus on the pediatric population, particularly in developing countries, are limited. For this reason, we investigated the epidemiological, microbiological, and clinical features of NIs in the general wards of ap ediatric hospital that does not have a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) facility.