Abstract
Background: Nosocomial infections are a global threat to human health worldwide.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the change of nosocomial infection factors in equivalent historical periods in pediatric patients without COVID-19 before and during the pandemic in the pediatric intensive care unit.Method: The study was planned retrospectively. Data on hospital infection rates, incidence densities, invasive device-associated infections, infectious agents, comorbid diseases, and invasive procedures in non-COVID-19 pediatric patients were obtained from the medical records for the periods of April-September 2019 and April-September 2020 in the pediatric intensive care unit. Hand hygiene compliance rates of healthcare workers were evaluated.Results: Prior to the pandemic, the number of patients was 332, comprising 2,377 patient days with a nosocomial infection rate of 5.12, and an incidence density of 7.15. During the pandemic, the number of patients was 221, comprising 2,260 patient days with a nosocomial infection rate of 4.52, and incidence density of 4.43. Prior to the pandemic, there were 28.80% cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 23.81% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 9.52% of Enterococcus faecium, and 4.76% of Enterococcus faecalis. During the pandemic, there were decreased 14.29% cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae while Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis was not seen. Prior to the pandemic, the hand hygiene compliance rate was 94.83%, and during the pandemic, it was found to be 99.44%.Conclusion: This study showed that the spread of bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which are a major public health threat, can be decreased by applying simple standard methods.
Highlights
Nosocomial infections (NIs) are common in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), due to the poor clinical condition of patients, increased invasive procedures, low immune response, prolonged hospitalization, and frequent use of antibiotics [1]
We examined the change of NI factors at equivalent historical cross-sections prior to and during the pandemic in a PICU in non-COVID-19 pediatric patients
In our study, when we examined those patients who reproduced Acinetobacter baumannii in detail to understand what caused the increase during the pandemic, it was found that the first Acinetobacter baumannii-breeding patient of the year was taken to external ventricular drainage in the operating room and it was produced in the blood culture taken
Summary
Nosocomial infections (NIs) are common in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), due to the poor clinical condition of patients, increased invasive procedures, low immune response, prolonged hospitalization, and frequent use of antibiotics [1]. NIs are associated with high costs of health care and increased morbidity and mortality, with a reported mortality rate of over 50% in some studies [5,6]. The Chinese Government announced to the world in December 2019 that a new type of coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) was isolated [7]. With this rapidly growing and uncontrolled pandemic, the health systems of different countries have shown different responses in surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment, and it has been reported that not all populations are affected in terms of the number of cases, serious illness, and death [8]. Nosocomial infections are a global threat to human health worldwide
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